Changing The Future
by inukagfreak1674
Summary: As the hunt for the jewel shards continues, Kagome saves a young girl from a demon. She's Kagome's daughter from the future, and has come back to save Kagome from the future in store for her. What does she need to save the young priestess from? Inu/Kag
1. Inori

_Well, this story came to me while I was watching an AMV. I really wanted to write it, and I do hope you enjoy it. I'm not sure how long it will be, but I'll make sure to make it good. And don't worry, I'll continue "The Stray" as well! Well, on with a new story! At the bottom of the page will be a list of definitions in case you don't know what they mean. _

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own anything in this story except my own original characters. Rumiko Takahashi does.

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**Changing The Future**

**Chapter One: Inori**

"INUYASHA! OSUWARI!" A young miko yelled, which was quickly followed by the sound of the young inu hanyou pounding into the ground. Three other heads shook at the scene, before continuing to eat their meal. A usual lunch for them…

"What the hell was that for Kagome?!"

"You're such a jerk!" Kagome yelled, stomping off. Shippo just sighed, before jumping on Inuyasha's head, which had left a rather deep impression in the dirt.

"Inuyasha, you really need to learn about Kagome's feelings. You've known her longer than any of us. Kagome tried really hard to make the stew less spicy, just for you, you know!" Shippo said before jumping off.

Inuyasha growled as he laid in the dirt. He knew about her feelings, he just found her really cute when she was angry…that's the only reason why he loved pissing her off. 'Stupid beads…' he cursed in his head, waiting for the spell to subside and let him up.

* * *

Kagome sighed as she walked threw the forest, trying to clear her thoughts. 'Inuyasha can be a real jerk at times…but then again…' she thought, 'he can be the sweetest guy…' 

It had been 4 months since Kikyo had died. All of Kagome's soul had been returned to her, and now there was no one in the way for Kagome to win Inuyasha's heart. During that time, they had become quite closer, but somehow there was ALWAYS an interruption.

Kohaku now joined the group, his memory restored, and his sacred jewel shard was gone. Kikyo had saved him, by giving him her own life force. Though he was staying with Kaede, incase Naraku attacked their group again. After their last fight with Naraku, Kagome had broken off a shard of his jewel. Kagome had one shard, while Naraku had the rest.

Kouga's shards had been taken, but he was still alive thanks to Kagome's help. His love still burned for Kagome, though Inuyasha would always get between them. Sure, Kagome liked Kouga, but she didn't want to be his mate.

"I just wish he'd realize Ayame's feelings for him, and go with her. She really does love him…" She said out loud. Her hand reached into her pocket, and pulled out a small vial which contained a single shard of the jewel.

'How could something so pretty, bring so much pain? Who knows how many innocent youkai, hanyou or humans have died just for this jewel…' She thought, sighing to herself. It was so stupid.

'Once we defeat Naraku, and if we do, I wonder what Inuyasha will do…'

A small tear formed in the corner of her eye at the thought. She knew he wanted to become a full demon, but she didn't want that. She wanted the half demon Inuyasha. To her, he was perfect the way he was.

He had the demon strength of his father, Inutaisho, who was once the ruler of the western lands. He could wield the tetsusaiga because of it and protect all of her friends. Yet he still had the feelings and kindness from his human mother, Izayoi.

A small breeze flew through the forest, lifting Kagome's hair slowly. A small shock went through her body, a sad aura coming closer. The feeling was quickly followed by a scream for help.

Grabbing the bow off her shoulders, she ran towards the direction of the scream, not knowing what she'd run into. Entering a clearing, she saw a small child running from a large snake demon, tears streaming down her cheeks. "Leave me alone!" Yelled the child, looking back as she tried to escape.

Kagome's heart clenched as she tried to hurry. She quickly drew her bow and shot towards the demon, hitting its tail. The snakes attention quickly turned to Kagome, its fangs dripping deadly poison. Kagome quickly reached for another arrow, but was thrown back when the snake whipped her away against a tree with its injured tail. The young child had kept running, but tripped.

The snake tried to take the chance to eat her then, but was purified before it got the chance. Kagome had made sure to not to miss this time. She rubbed the back of her head. 'That's going to be a bump…' She thought to herself, before walking over to the young girl curled up into a ball on the ground, whimpering.

A frown instantly covered her face, sitting next to the girl, rubbing her back softly. "Shh…its okay, you're safe now…" Kagome said quietly. The young girl slowly looked up at her, and Kagome could see the pain in her eyes.

"M-mommy…" The young girl whimpered, before falling unconscious.

Kagome's eyes widened, having the girl call her 'mommy'. She scooped up the girl in her arms, and walked back to the camp. The girl had bruises, cuts, and scratches all over her body.

As Kagome walked into camp, a certain hanyou was looking at her with a scowl on his face. "Kagome! Where have you…" his sentence stopped once he saw the girl in Kagome's arms.

"Kagome, what happened?!" Sango asked, looking to the girl.

"She was being attacked by a demon when I found her. She's unconscious right now…" Kagome explained, setting the girl slowly and gently on the ground so she could get her first aid kit out. "Shippo, can you role out my sleeping bag so she can have a comfortable place to lay down?" Kagome asked, digging threw her large yellow backpack.

"Y-yeah, sure…" Shippo nodded quickly, before opening it up and rolling it down so it was flat. Sango picked up the girl, and laid her down while Kagome pulled out her kit.

Inuyasha examined the girl. Something was strange about her…she wasn't human, but she wasn't demon either. She wasn't even a half demon. She almost looked like a miniature Kagome. She had shoulder length black her, pale skin, and she wore a purple kimono with pink sakura flowers covering it.

Kagome dabbed a wet cloth against the girl's forehead, trying to clean off the dirt off. Kagome frowned at all the cuts and bruises. 'No wonder she had such a sad aura…she must be in a lot of pain…'

"Inuyasha?" Kagome asked, dabbing dirt off her chin.

"Yeah?"

"Can you go find some food for tonight? I don't think we'll be going anywhere."

Inuyasha nodded, and went to go hunt. Miroku followed, incase they needed to check for other wounds in places he wouldn't look at on a young girl. Sango and Kagome cleaned her cuts, yet were curious at why the girl had so many bruises. They cover her arms, legs, neck, torso, everywhere.

Inuyasha came back later that night with a couple rabbits. The girl slept soundly in the sleeping bag, while everyone helped prepare dinner. Everyone checked on the girl periodically, especially Kagome. There was something about this girl…

Before dinner was finished, Kagome heard the girl groan and was instantly at her side. The young girls hazel eyes opened slowly, though panic quickly filled them and she sat up. 'W-where am I?' She looked around, before her eyes fell on Kagome.

"Oh, you're finally awake." Kagome smiled.

The young girl just looked at her with wide eyes. "M-mommy!" She yelled, jumping up and throwing her arms around Kagome's waist and cried into her chest. Kagome was shocked, but held the girl close.

Inuyasha's ears instantly perked up when the girl called her 'mommy'. Walking over, he squatted next to Kagome. Kagome looked over at him with a sad yet confused look on her face.

"I was so scared mommy! Y-you just…" The girl looked up at Kagome, and instantly froze. This was her mommy, but…she was different.

"Sango, bring a plate over here. You're hungry, aren't you?" Kagome asked, looking down at her.

The girl blushed as her stomach growled. She nodded slowly, taking the plate from another woman. Inuyasha just stared at her, interest filling every corner of his body.

"So what's your name?" Asked Kagome, letting the girl sit on her lap.

"Inori…" The girl said, taking a bite of her food after sniffing it.

Kagome smiled, watching her. "You have a very pretty name, Inori."

Inori blushed deeply, looking down. "Thank you…"

"Why did you call her mommy?" Asked Inuyasha. The girl instantly cowered from him, and into Kagome. Kagome sighed, rubbing the girls hair. "It's okay, he won't hurt you…"

Inori looked up at Kagome, tears in her eyes. Kagome smiled, holding the girl close. "You can answer the question later…"

Inori nodded, continuing to eat her meal.

Shippo hopped up on Kagome's shoulder, looking down at the girl as Miroku and Sango came to sit by them. "So how old are you Inori?" He asked.

"I just turned six a week ago.." She said, setting her plate down. She was full.

Sango looked to Miroku, very confused at what was going on. Where did this girl come from, why did she look so much like Kagome, and why did she call her mommy? Kagome was still pure, so there was no way it could be her child…

"Kagome, can I talk to you for a minute?" Inuyasha asked, wanting to find out what the hell was going on. Kagome nodded, but Inori held onto her.

"I promise we'll be right back. Sango, Miroku and Shippo are nice. They won't let anything happen to you…"

Inori slowly loosened her grip, before letting go completely. Kagome stood up, and walking out of hearing range.

"Kagome…she's not your…" Inuyasha didn't know how to phrase it.

"No Inuyasha, she's not my kid. She can't be, I've never had sex." She explained, looking over to the girl. Inuyasha sighed. This was getting WAY too confusing. "I don't get it, she looks so much like me."

"Well…she's defiantly your kid Kagome. I don't know how, but she is. She has your scent rolling off her, and it's not from just today. It's long term." He explained, crossing his arms, his hands hiding in his long sleeves.

"Well…we have no other way of knowing besides to ask her." Kagome said, before walking back to the group. Inuyasha watched her, and his heart ached. It was defiantly her child, but his scent wasn't a part of Inori. He followed Kagome not to long after, sitting to Kagome's right.

"Inori, what happened to you?"

Inori froze, tears welling up her eyes. "Mommy was being hit by daddy again…but he was being harder this time. He…" tears ran down her cheek, and Kagome put a hand on her back, rubbing it gently "…s-stabbed her…Mommy didn't want me to get hurt anymore, so she chanted something and a light was put around me. She told me I had to change the past…"

Inuyasha's eyes glowed red. The thought of anyone hitting Kagome made his blood boil, especially when he hears that it's happening to her frequently.

"Daddy hits you every day…and I hear you scream a lot at night…the last time I was with you, he said he had no use for you anymore, or me…" The whole group was dead silent while Inori told them her story.

"Inori, i-if I'm your mom, then how did you get here?" Kagome asked, extremely curious.

"I think mommy used the last of her powers to send me back in time…well, you did. The last thing she said was that I needed to help you and Inuyasha…" Inori explained, wiping the tears from her eyes. "You told me lots of stories about him. How he always protected you and saved you. You named me Inori, because it means Prayer…I was your prayer to get him and save us…"

Inuyasha's eyes widened. If the kid was from over six years in the future, why hadn't he saved Kagome yet?

"Kid, what happened to me?"

Inori looked up at him, and finally realized who he was. 'So this is Inuyasha…' She gulped, looking to the ground. "Daddy killed you…"

Silence filled the group, as a cold chill feeling filled Inuyasha and Kagome's body.

"Inori…who is your father?" Kagome asked, scared of the answer.

Inori looked down, before looking at Kagome and Inuyasha. Everyone in the group was silent. But everyone's eyes widened, when she said the name.

"…Naraku…"

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_End of the chapter! I do hope you've enjoyed the first chapter. Please stay tuned for the new chapter coming soon. Once I update the Stray, of course! Please comment, and review!_

_Miko_

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_**…Definitions…**_

_**Miko-Priestess**_

_**Inu-Dog**_

_**Hanyou-Half demon**_

_**Youkai-Demon**_

_**Inori-Prayer**_

_**Osuwari- Sit**_

_**Sakura- Cherry Blossom**_

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	2. A Mothers Hidden Message

Well I'm back for chapter two. I'm so surprised at the amount of reviews for chapter one! I just HAD to write chapter two! I do hope you enjoy, and will keep staying tuned! Also, don't forget to read my other fic, "The Stray" D

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own anything in this story except my own original characters. Rumiko Takahashi does.

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**Chapter Two- A Mothers Hidden Message**

Inori looked down, before looking at Kagome and Inuyasha. Everyone in the group was silent. But everyone's eyes widened, when she said the name.

"…Naraku…"

**-x-**

Kagome was frozen in shock. Out of all of the people it could have been…it was Naraku? The young miko briefly looked around the camp, and saw the hatred in Inuyasha, Miroku and Sango's eyes. All that hatred was for one man alone, Naraku. Inuyasha, for being deceived by Naraku, which had ended up in Kikyo's death. Miroku, for Naraku cursing the kazaana in his hand, which would suck him up if he did not kill Naraku, just like his father and grandfather. And Sango, for having Naraku possess her younger brother, Kohaku, and take him away using him as a pawn, and the destruction of her village.

Inori felt Kagome's body become still, as she looked up at her. "M-mommy?" She asked quietly. Kagome gave no answer, as her eyes went dull. The next thing everyone knew, Kagome on the ground unconscious.

"Mommy!"

"KAGOME!"

"Kagome-sama!"

And her world went dark…

**-x-**

She walked silently in the dark…it was cold, misty, and the only way she could describe it was pure darkness. "I-Inuyasha? Sango? Miroku? Shippo? Inori?" Kagome yelled. She was a little afraid, she had no idea where she was going.

A flash of light appeared in front of her, and two figures formed. Rubbing her eyes to refresh them, she opened to see Inori lying in a bed. The other figure walked closer. It was a woman. She had long black hair, brown, soulless eyes, her skin was pale, yet she kept a small smile on her lips.

A smile instantly covered Inori's face. "Mommy, you're back!"

'Wait!' Kagome thought, looking to the woman again. This was her? This couldn't be…what would happen to her would it?

The future Kagome sat on the edge of the bed, and Inori quickly cuddled into her arms. "Mommy, can you tell me the story about the brave knight again?" She asked, her smile warming, but her eyes were cold and unhappy. Kagome clutched her chest, a deep cold feeling settling in. This is what her life would be like after Naraku took her…this would be what little family of hers would be like…

This would be the life she had after Naraku took her innocence…

**-x-**

Kagome's eyes shot open. Her breathing was fast and shallow, as her body shook slightly. She clamed down, once she sensed a little weight next to her. Looking down, she saw Inori cuddled against her as they slept in the sleeping bag. Kagome sat up and looked around the camp. Everyone was asleep.

The camp fire still burned, its light cutting through the darkness, as everyone slept soundly. Kagome shivered at the cold night, and pulled the sleeping bag over her more, but stopped when she felt a different cloth on top of it. A smile crossed Kagome's lips. It was Inuyasha's red top. (AN: Can't remember the name for the top D; Haori or something like that…)

Wrapping it around her, she slowly got up and walked out of the camp. The sound of a small river entered Kagome's ears, and she followed the sound. Sitting on a small boulder at the edge of the water, she wrapped her arms around her legs and hugged them to her chest. Wrapping Inuyasha's top around her tighter, she cried into her legs.

A small gasp came from her mouth when she felt two strong arms lift her up. Silver hair flew into her face, as a musky scent filled her nose. 'Inuyasha…'

A small blush covered her cheeks, wiping the tears from her cheek. "W-what are you doing?"

Inuyasha kept quiet, before taking a large leap, and easily landed in a tree close by. Setting her down, he wiped the remaining tears off her cheek. A small frown covered his face. "Kagome…why were you crying?"

Kagome stayed quiet, before a small sigh escaped her lips. "I'm really scared Inuyasha…while I was sleeping, I saw what my life would be like once Naraku takes me. It's…frightening…"

"Who the hell said Naraku is taking you away?" Inuyasha growled. "Didn't I say I'd protect you with my life Kagome? Now that we know he's planning to take you, we can plan to make sure you're safe."

"Inuyasha, I'm more worried about you…you heard Inori, she said you're dead. I…I don't know what I'd do if you died protecting me…" Another tear flowed down her cheek.

Inuyasha growled, and grabbed her shoulders. He forced her to face him, but kept his hands soft and gentle. "You think a low life like Naraku is going to kill me? Kagome, I promise you, BOTH of us will make it out of this alive and happy." He explained, letting go of her shoulders.

Kagome stayed quiet after that. Looking up at the sky, her eyes locked on to the last quarter of the moon. Laying her head on Inuyasha's shoulder, she continued to look at the moon. "The new moon is coming soon."

"I know…"

"Inuyasha?"

"Yeah?"

Kagome smiled, and closed her eyes. "Thank you…"

A blush covered the young hanyou's face, as he scratched the back of his head. He knew he would keep his promise. He would not let another woman he deeply cared about die…Kikyo was gone, and Kagome was all he had left. If he lost her, he didn't know what he'd do…

He would defiantly not lose Kagome.

Not to Naraku, not to Kouga, not to anyone!

**-x-**

After returning to camp, Kagome was very tired. She had stayed up all night with Inuyasha, and was completely exhausted. As the group traveled, everyone was worried. Especially Inuyasha and Inori.

"Kagome…are you okay? Your face is very pale…" Sango asked, walking slower so she walked a long side Kagome. Inori looked up at her mom, a frown covering her lips. She gripped Kagome's hand, hoping it would give her some strength.

Kagome smiled down at Inori, before turning back towards Sango.

"I'm fine. Just really tired…"

Inuyasha sighed. He didn't regret staying up with Kagome all night, he kind of enjoyed it…But if it made her this tired, he felt bad. Walking back, he squatted down in front of Kagome. "Get on."

"But I feel fine…"

"Liar. I can smell the fatigue coming off you in waves." He barked.

Defeated, Kagome climbed onto his back, wrapping her arms around Inuyasha's neck as his hands grabbed her thighs to help keep her on.

Inori followed the two, as the speed of the group increased. Looking up at her mom, Inori frowned seeing the young miko asleep. "Will mommy be okay?"

Inuyasha looked down at her, and gave a genuine smile. "She'll be fine kid."

"Might I suggest we stay in the town up ahead for tonight? Kagome should rest, and maybe Inori could give us more detail about what will happen, and maybe when it will…" Miroku said quietly, so only Inuyasha could hear.

Inuyasha nodded. "Tell Sango."

Miroku slowed to Sango's pace. Inuyasha listened into the conversation, but only heard a slap. Shaking his head, he knew the monk had groped Sango again.

"PERVERT!"

Inori moved closer to Inuyasha as the two fought. The young hanyou's attention was turned to her. He pulled Kagome gently over his shoulders, and held her bridal style. Getting on a knee, he turned to Inori.

"Don't worry about those two, they're just being stupid." He explained, glaring back at the two. Inori frowned, and Inuyasha felt bad. This girl was a part of Kagome…and he would protect her as well, even if it was from something stupid. "Get on my back, I'll take you with Kagome."

Inori looked shocked. Why was he being nice to her? Usually everyone hit her or yelled at her, besides Kagome of course. Slowly, she climbed onto Inuyasha's back, taking Kagome's old spot.

"Hold on tight Kiddo."

With a great leap, he cleared 50 yards. "Miroku, Sango! Take Shippo with you on Kirara and hurry up!"

Sango just stood there, amazing at how impatient he was. Picking up the now unconscious monk, she waited for Kirara to transform. Shippo was the first to get on, followed by Sango and Miroku. Kirara wasted no time after going after Inuyasha, who was already far ahead.

**-x-**

A dark figure grinned, watching into a small mirror as the group traveled towards the next village. Standing up, he walked to a dark wall and snapped his fingers. Blue flames immerged, and a woman was reveled from the darkness, chained to walls.

"Kagura, I'll let you stretch out your legs and play a little. Go after Inuyasha, and tell them I can't wait to play around with his group soon, very soon." A wicked grin covered his lips.

Kagura glared, her eyes filled with hatred at the man in front of her.

"Yes, Master Naraku…"

Snapping his fingers once again, the chains released, and he turned back to the mirror, held by a small girl dressed in white.

"Kanna, show me more…"

**-x-**

Inuyasha stretched his arms as he walked around Kagome's room. They had finally made it to the village, and found a small inn to stay the night at. Miroku, as always, used the 'There's an evil presence in the inn, and I shall purify it for you' line to get a free room. Inori stayed by Kagome's side as she slept. Even though she hadn't know this Kagome very well, she seemed happier then the one in the future. Her mother was still kind, but her eyes were always filled with pain, regret, and unhappiness.

Inuyasha sat next to Inori, looking at Kagome.

"What is Kagome like?"

"Huh?"

"Your mom, Kagome, in the future."

"Well…" Inori started "…She always cares for me, since no one else does. I have never seen her truly happy. Her eyes are always filled with pain…She always takes the hits from dad for me, to protect me…" Inori explained. She had always felt horrible. Her mom was suffering for her, because of her…

Inuyasha kept quiet as he stared down at Kagome. That sounded like Kagome all right…she'd rather be killed then see a child hurt, especially her own. His thoughts were interrupted when Sango and Miroku entered the room.

"How's she doing?" Asked Sango.

Inuyasha just shook his head. "Still asleep."

"Well…maybe an evil demon is making her sleepy! I believe you all should leave the room while I exercise the demon out of lady Kagome." He said, with a perverted grin on his face.

"Unless you want me to cut your manhood off and shove it down your throat, I suggest you get that stupid grin off you face and don't even touch Kagome" Growled Inuyasha.

Sango glared at Miroku as he instantly shut up.

Kagome's eyes stirred, and Inori quickly looked over. "I think she's waking up."

Inuyasha turned his attention back to Kagome, and a small glimpse of a smile appeared on his face when her eyes opened.

Kagome's cheeks flashed pink, noticing everyone stare at her.

"Kagome, you're awake!" Shippo danced.

"S-Sorry…I was really tired…" She apologized.

"Keh, told you so." Inuyasha rose his nose as in a sign of victory. Kagome wanted to sit him, but he did carry her all the way to the inn, so she decided to let it go. Turning to Inori, Kagome put a serious face on.

"Inori, do you know what the story about the 'brave knight' is?"

She nodded, looking down. "Mama used to tell it to me all the time…it was my favorite story. B-but how do you know about it?"

Kagome smiled. "I saw it in my dream, but I didn't get to the actual story. Would you mind telling it to us?"

Inori kept still, before nodding. "I-I'll try…" She closed her eyes, and tried to think of how her Kagome told it in the future.

"A long time ago, there was a brave knight. He traveled across the lands, in search for his enemy. He always carried his sword with him, and fought countless demons. His sword was made from his father's fang, a powerful inu youkai who controlled the western lands long long ago."

"He was not alone though. He had a group of friends to help him. One day, he met a girl who had magical powers. They became friends, and he swore to protect her with his life. One night, during the new moon, his enemy came and kidnapped the girl, taking her to his castle. The knight tried as hard as he could, but failed to get her back."

"The girl sent a prayer, Inori, to have the knight save her. Her prayer came to him, and he found the enemies castle. It was in the mountains, at the base of Spear Mountain, or mount Yari. Before the priestess was taken, the knight gave her a special necklace to keep in memory of him." Inori explained, pulling out an item from her kimono, then held up a beaded necklace, with beads that looked like claws between some of the other purple beads.

The whole group gasped. It was Inuyasha's beads of subjugation! The beads had began to rust, while the claw looking beads had begun to rust and chip away.

"Mom gave me these, to always remember the knight and to keep me safe." Inori explained, holding the beads close to her. Inuyasha gripped the beads around his neck, a scowl covering his face.

Kagome was shocked at how much information was in the story alone. It was like…she was sending a message back to herself…the knight was Inuyasha, and she would be taken on the night of the new moon to mount Yari. Maybe she did have a chance to change the future…

But what would happen to this Inori? If the future would be changed, wouldn't it mean she will never exist?

Her thoughts were caught off once Inuyasha growled. "I smell Naraku's scent…" he growled, and hoped to his feet. Inori froze, as well as Kagome.

"Miroku, you come with me. Sango, watch over Kagome, Inori and Shippo!" Inuyasha commanded, running out the door. Miroku grabbed his staff, and quickly followed him out. Sango grabbed her hiraikotsu, and shut the door behind the two.

"It'll be alright Kagome. I doubt Naraku is after you yet…"

Kagome nodded slowly. "I guess…"

Sango smiled. "Think about it. Inori only turned six one week ago. It takes demons and half demons seven months to have the baby. That means that we can probably find out how long you have until we have to hide you!" Sango explained. Turning to Inori, Sango walked up to her.

"Inori, do you have any idea when Kagome and Naraku got together?"

Inori nodded. "Seven years ago."

Sango smiled, patting the girls head. "See Kagome? We have time…five months."

Kagome was shocked at Sango's thinking, but it only lightened the mood slightly. "Five months…"

**-x-**

Inuyasha and Miroku ran outside, and saw Kagura standing in front of them. Inuyasha drew his Tetsusaiga, growling. Miroku raised his staff, raising the tip towards Kagura.

A smirk covered her lips as she opened her fan slightly. A great gust of wind flew by, as Miroku almost lost his footing. "Kagura, what the hell are you doing here?" Inuyasha asked, his eyes glaring holes into her.

Yawning, she tapped the fan against her shoulder. "Oh calm down, I didn't come here to fight. Naraku sent me to give you a message."

"A message?"

She nodded. "He's planning something, I'm not sure what. But he says he can't wait to 'play' with you soon." She explained, turning her back towards them. Taking a couple feet, she stopped. "I'd keep a close eye on your wench. I'm sure that is what he is after." With that, she threw a feather which expanded.

Inuyasha and Miroku watched her fly off. Miroku relaxed, but Inuyasha was tense. Naraku was already planning something? How long did they have? The further Kagura went, the more Inuyasha wanted to find Naraku.

He would find a way to change the future!

Sighing, he sheathed his sword and walked into the inn with Miroku. Knocking on the door, they heard no answer. Curious, Inuyasha opened the door. "It's just us!"

Inuyasha froze solid as he entered the room. Sango and Shippo laid on the ground unconscious, and Kagome and Inori were no where to be found…

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_Mwahahaha! A twist! But hey, at least I updated. And it's a longer chapter too! I would like to thank all of those who reviewed! They made me so happy! In the end of this, I'll thank each of you personally. And just telling you guys, this is not going to be a really short story. Not sure how long it will be in the end though. Please review, and I hope you enjoyed the chapter!_

_Hsheehan: My first review for the story! D Thank you, and I'm glad you like it so far!_

_Crazy12345: You have no idea how happy that makes me to hear that! It's always a writer's goal to please the readers, and so I will keep trying to do my best each and every chapter!_

_**-x-**_

mz.demon-inuyasha: Mwahaha, I know it's horrible, but it's part of the story D

Blayze-Raine: Happy now? D I updated

Oniguts: Yes I know, but I like messing with peoples minds! P

Hentai Strumpet: Glad you like it.

IzayoiTashio18: Well I'm happy that you like the beginning! Let's see if I can make it great the whole story!

**-x-**

_Again, thanks to all who reviewed for the first chapter!_

_-Miko

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	3. A mothers love

Okay, I'm expecting to be attacked and mobbed for not updating for...-checks-...holy crap ; A lot has been happening in my life, and I really didn't have the means or attention to write. High school, not having any word document until now, family crap, surgery, ect...you name it. It happened. But recently, my new computer has been handling word document things so I'm able to update! Exciting huh? I know. Anyways, on with the chapter!

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own anything in this story except my own original characters. Rumiko Takahashi does.**

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****-x-**

**_Chapter three- A mothers love_**

"Ugh..." a moan escaped, as the young woman rubbed the back of her head. It was like she had been hit with a sledge hammer. She tried opening her eyes, but quickly noticed she would most likely see nothing. It was a dark cave, with just a little fire behind her. The young girl sat up and looked around, trying to find something or someone she knew.

"Oh, you're awake!" Another voice came. A young girl, probably only around the age of 12 or 13. This girl looked familiar, but she seemed different. The girl smiled kindly, and squatted down next to where the other laid. "I suppose it's been awhile, Kagome. I'm Rin."

Instantly, a smile appeared on Kagome's face. "Rin!" she exclaimed. It had been probably a year since she had seen the young girl, and she was growing fast. Rin smiled and gave Kagome a hug. Kagome had first met Rin when she was 10, so it was amazing to see her now. "How've you been?" Kagome asked, hugging back.

Rin smiled, and scooted back some. "I've been alright. Jaken is out with Sesshoumaru looking for some food for you, me and the other girl." she explained.

"Other girl?" Kagome asked. Run pointed over her shoulder, pointing to a little girl lying on the ground. It was Inori. Kagome froze for a moment, then crawled over to her side. She seemed to be fine, just asleep. Kagome reached her hand down, and rubbed her head softly. The little girl stirred, but didn't wake up. 'She must be exhausted...' she thought.

"Wait...Rin. Why are we here, and where are my friends?" She asked, looking around. Inuyasha, Miroku, Sango, Shippo and Kirara were no where to be seen.

"Lord Sesshoumaru brought you two here. I don't quite know why, he just said it was because of a smell." Rin shrugged. Sesshoumaru was quiet, and didn't really tell her much.

Kagome continued to rub Inori's head slowly, before the little girl awoke. She yawned but sat up quickly, looking around. Spotting Kagome right next to her, she hugged on tightly, her fists balling in her shirt. "It's okay Inori..." Kagome said gently, patting her back. Inori lifted her head to stare at Kagome, put didn't let go. Kagome smiled down at Inori in a comforting way, trying to calm down the little girl. Tucking a lock of Inori's black hair behind her ear, she turned her head towards Rin.

"Rin, this is Inori. Inori, this is Rin." she greeted them.

Rin walked up close, and examined the girl before putting her hand out. "Nice to meet you Inori, want to be friends?" she asked. Inori was shocked by the gesture. No one had ever offered to be her friend. She slowly nodded, still a little shocked. Rin cheered.

"Rin, it's time to eat." a voice sounded from the entrance of the cave. Kagome turned her head to look. It was Sesshoumaru. His long silver-ish hair flowed freely in the wind, as his amber eyes pierced through the night. Kagome gulped slightly, holding onto Inori a little tighter. Inori trembled, never seeing such a strong demon before, excluding her father. Inori watched as Rin skipped happily towards Sesshoumaru, where he handed her the large fish. She had a little bit of a hard time carrying it back to the fire.

"You, Kagome was it? Come with me." Sesshoumaru commanded, and she had no desire to deny unless she wanted to suffer his wrath.

"Inori, why don't you go eat and play with Rin?" Kagome asked of Inori. The young girl took a moment to respond, before nodding and slowly let go of Kagome. She walked timidly over to Rin, who was in the middle of cooking the fish.

Kagome stood up, brushing off her skirt, before walking carefully over to Sesshoumaru. She was wary of him, and the fact that she could barely see anything in the dark, cold cave. He turned around and started walking to the opening of the cave, and she followed. Reaching the outside, Kagome looked up at the sky. It was defiantly night, maybe even somewhere around 10pm. The stars were bright and full, the moon a small sliver of its full self. 'The new moon is coming' she thought to herself, but turned her attention to Sesshoumaru.

Sesshoumaru, without warning, grabbed hold of her arm and pulled him to her. Using a claw, he ripped the cloth that covered her shoulders, and sniffed her neck. Kagome froze, knowing it was no use in trying to escape no matter how hard she wish to.

"Strange...you have no mark, nor do you smell of mating..." he said quietly. Kagome didn't answer, she just stayed still. He pulled his head back and glared. "Explain now. Why does that child have your scent mixed with Naraku's if you have never mated. Especially since you would have been barely old enough to conceive at the time of her birth." He glared into her eyes, lifting her chin, examining her more.

Kagome finally attempted to struggle free, but he just kept his grip. "I don't know how she got here...but she's from the future. Apparently, she's the daughter of Naraku and I. I was kidnapped by him, and I think you could get the rest..." she explained quietly.

Sesshoumaru looked into her eyes, looking for any deception. He found none.

"I see. If she is Naraku's child, I will kill her."

**-x-**

Miroku tried hard to wake the unconscious Shippo and Sango. It didn't seem to be from trauma, but from a special gas. Inuyasha growled loudly. He couldn't smell anything with the stupid gas still lingering. It wasn't anything to knock him or anyone else out anymore, just to hide the scent of the person who used it, and the way they went.

Miroku sighed in relief when Sango's eyes fluttered slightly. She groaned, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. "Thank goodness you've awake Sango." the monk said, rubbing her bottom. That was instantly greeted with a nice hand shaped mark on his face.

"Touch me again monk, and I swear you will NEVER be able to bear any children." Sango warned, her hand forming a fist as she glared. Miroku laughed nervously, and nodded.

"Will you two stop fucking joking around?! Kagome and Inori are GONE!" Inuyasha growled out, seriously pissed. The two instantly got quiet, and looked around.

The room was left the way it was before everything happened. Their supplies lied on the floor, blankets sat in the corner of the room, and Kagome's bag sat on the small table, completely undisturbed. Inuyasha tried finding the scent of her one last time, but got nothing.

"Sango, do you remember anything that happened before you were knocked out?" Miroku asked, looking around the room for clues. Sango shook her head and frowned.

"Not at all. Kagome and I were just talking and then next thing I knew, I woke up here..." she explained. She was worried about her friend, and the little girl. Inuyasha grew even more annoyed and upset every second he searched. He tried thinking of all the possibilities of who could've taken her.

Kouga was out of the question. The wolf was too stupid to think of something this sophisticated. Besides, he wasn't the type to hide and steal Kagome, he was fast enough to just take her without needing to hide her.

Naraku was another option. But it wouldn't make sense. Why would he take Inori, and why would he hide his filthy stench? He could easily just hide it behind some barrier.

Any other demon could be an option. But again, why would they hide their stench and take Inori? It made no sense. Kagome, it could. That girl always got herself into trouble, plus the fact she had jewel shards.

Inuyasha punched the wall, his fist slamming completely through. Sango and Miroku froze, staring at the enraged hanyou. They were certain that if he hadn't had his tetsusaiga, he would've phased into his full demon phase. Miroku gulped, and Sango rolled her eyes at the monks reaction.

"Are you sure there's nothing you can trace her down with Inuyasha?" Sango asked, slowly walking up to her enraged friend. "Like, can you hear her or anything?" She tried naming off options. Inuyasha just shook his head, pulling his fist out of the wall. "Nothing..."

Sango sighed. Going up to Shippo, she shook him lightly. "Shippo...wake up..." she said softly, trying to awaken the young kitsune. His eyes opened slowly, and released a jaw-breaking yawn.

"What happened...?" He asked, still in half sleep mode.

"Inori and Kagome are missing. I think we can use your help." Sango explained, and Shippo instantly perked up. Kagome was like a mother to him, and Inori was his friend. He had to help!

Inuyasha's ears twitched, and he turned to Sango. "What are you planning?"

Sango lifted Shippo up, and handed him to Miroku. "We're going to split up. Miroku will go with Shippo, I'll go with Kirara, and you go on your own. We'll spread of and comb the area for Kagome or Inori's scent using Shippo, Kirara or your nose." She explained, lifting up her feline friend.

Inuyasha thought for a minute, then nodded. It was the only idea that seemed to have any way of working. "Okay, but if you find her, don't do anything hasty." Inuyasha warned, Kagome and Inori's safety top priority.

Miroku, Sango and Shippo nodded. Miroku and Shippo headed south towards the village they were staying in. Sango and Kirara took off into the skies, scanning the neighboring forest. Inuyasha headed northeast towards the mountains.

'Please be safe Kagome...'

**-x-**

Kagome just stared at the dog demon. Her world froze. Something about the thought of Inori being killed made her freeze, then her blood boil. No one was going to hurt her child, especially not over something that she wasn't responsible for. Inori's life was hard, and only going to get harder. Kagome glared, gritting her teeth together.

"Stay away from her." she warned.

The dog demon stared down at her, a little shocked. No one had ever dared to speak to him in such a manner, besides his brother and Naraku. Sesshoumaru growled in a low tone, but Kagome stood her ground. Taking a deep breath of the cold night air, he closed his eyes before slowly opening them again.

"Why do you protect the child of a monster?" He asked, confused with the human ways. Kagome never backed down from her hard look.

"She's just a little girl. It's not her fault that she's Naraku's daughter. She didn't choose this life. Inori isn't dangerous..." she explained, looking back at the cave where Rin and Inori ate and played. Sesshoumaru was quiet for but a moment.

"Fine, she may keep her life. Rin seems to have taken a liking to her." He said, his eyes seeing much further and better in the dark cave. "But if I ever hear of her doing Naraku's bidding, she won't be spared." He warned coldly, before turning his back to her and entering back into the cave. Kagome sighed in relief. This was the best she could ask from someone like him.

Kagome strained her eyes to look deep in the cave, and saw Inori and Rin playing. It was nice seeing Inori acting like a real child. For a few brief moments, her face was filled with joy and innocence. Kagome decided to let them be, and sat outside of the cave. It was too dark out to find her way back with Inori. The other way she could get back was with Sesshoumaru's help, but knew that wasn't really going to happen.

Finding a large boulder, Kagome climbed atop of it using the little grooves in the side. She sat on the boulder, its flat surface making it easy to sit on. Taking a deep breath, she lied back against the hard cold rock, and stared up at the stars. Her thoughts were all over the place. Naraku, the jewel shards, Inuyasha, Inori, tests and school work , her era and finding her friends again. She was afraid of what the future had in store for her and her friends. She didn't want any of them getting hurt. Kagome would give her life any day to protect her friends.

Kagome placed a hand gently on her stomach, and looked down. A small smile appearing on the corner of her lips, thinking of being a mom. Though she hated the idea of Naraku being a father, Inori was a sweet kid. Shy, but a good girl. Her heart beat quicker when she thought of Inuyasha being the father instead. A wider smile creased her lips.

A blush appeared on her cheeks, and she shook her head. "What am I thinking..." she said aloud, and sighed. Watching a star fly over the sky, she made a wish. 'Please, keep my friends happy and safe...'

**-x-**

Inuyasha jumped higher and higher over the large cliffs. He didn't care how high he needed to go, he would anywhere just to get a whiff of Kagome. He paused for a moment, catching his breath. He had been running so fast, and jumping so much, that even he was at a loss of breath. "K-Kagome...where are you?" he asked out loud, but expected no answer.

He froze when a familiar scent filled his nose. The gentle smell of roses and lavender, Kagome's new shampoo. It was nice, but nothing compared to her true scent. At the smell, Inuyasha gained an immediate energy rush. It was coming a little west of where he was.

Taking off in an all of sprint, a little relief filled his spirit. She didn't seem to be bleeding or in distress. But he wasn't going to take his chances and wait. He hopped up into the trees, using them to climb and push off of. He entered a dead end, and slowed down. He looked for only a minute, and spotted Kagome lying on a boulder, and a light in a cave.

Kagome sat up, and smiled. "Inuyasha!" she exclaimed. He smiled slightly, and did one graceful leap on top of the boulder.

"Are you okay Kagome?" he asked, looking up and down her body for any signs of an injury. The only thing he found where that her shoulders were bear due to the clothing had been sliced. He growled lightly, getting the stench of an all too familiar asshole. Turning his head, he slid in front of Kagome, blocking her.

"InuYasha." Sesshoumaru said coldly. Both Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru glared at one another, grabbing the hilts of their swords. Kagome sighed, shaking her head.

"That's enough you two, not in front of the children." she said firmly, before looking over Sesshoumaru's shoulder to see Inori and Rin watching intently, spying. Rin groaned, mad that she was caught, and Inori rushed to Kagome's side. Inuyasha jumped down next to Kagome, before stepping forward in front of both her and Inori. Inori watched intently to see what Inuyasha's next move would be. Besides Kagome, he was one person she seemed to feel safe around, mainly because of Kagome. She seemed to trust him a lot, and spoke highly of him.

"What do you want with Kagome, Sesshoumaru?" Inuyasha asked, ready to attack at any moment.

Sesshoumaru just ignored his brother and looked past him, staring straight at Kagome. "Do not forget my warning." He reminded, looking down at Inori before flying off into the cave.

Inuyasha continued to growl, but stopped when he felt something grab onto his sleeve. Looking down, he watched as Inori gave a small smile. "Thank you for saving us..." she said quietly. Inuyasha looked at Kagome, a little embarrassed before crouching down and pat her head. "No problem Kiddo..."

At that moment, no problem seem to hard. As long as they stayed like this, nothing would stand in their way of achieving their true happiness. A calm wind passed through the three, who at that moment, easily could've mistaken them as a small, happy family.

Kagome couldn't help but stare at the two, almost like they were a father and daughter. She smiled, and hoped to one day have a family of her own, on her own standards, just like this.

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Okay, that's the end of chapter three. I hope you all enjoyed this as much as I enjoyed writing it. It seemed to flow so easily! Anyways, I'll hopefully update soon. At the latest, next week. But most likely soon after I finish up on another chapter of "The Stray". Please review what you thought of the chapter! And if you're still wondering why it took me so long to update, please read the very beginning of this page.

Thanks for reading!

-Miko

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	4. Sorceress Ichiko

_As promised, here is chapter four. Enjoy!_

Summary: As the hunt for the jewel shards continues, Kagome saves a young girl from a demon. She's Kagome's daughter from the future, and has come back to save Kagome from the future in store for her. What does she need to save the young priestess from? Inu/Kag

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own anything in this story except my own original characters. Rumiko Takahashi does.**

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**Chapter four: Sorceress Ichiko**

Inori had fallen asleep on Inuyasha's back as the three made their way back to the inn. A smile creased Kagome's lips when the young girl snuggled into Inuyasha's back. The walk back was silent, and a little awkward between the two adults.

"He...didn't hurt you did he?" Inuyasha asked, breaking through the silence.

Kagome shook her head. "No."

He came to a stop, and stared at her. She stopped and turned around to face him.

"What is it?"

"Why'd Sesshoumaru rip your shirt?" He asked, looking at Kagome's shoulder.

"He said he was looking for a mark." Kagome shrugged.

Inuyasha growled. He would kill Sesshoumaru for touching Kagome like that. He stopped his growl when Kagome lightly placed her hand on his shoulder.

"Lets just get back to the others. Plus Inori needs to rest."

Inuyasha gave a nod, and the two continued their walk back to the inn. Inori's face frowned as she gripped onto Inuyasha's haori tightly in her sleep. "Mommy...no..." the young girl mumbled in her sleep.

Inuyasha and Kagome both looked at Inori, a frown covering their lips as they hurried back to the hut. Worrying about Sesshoumaru would come later, right now they needed to take care of Inori, and prevent the future in store for Kagome.

**-x-**

The group had all met up once again and were all in the girls room. Sango and Shippo had hugged Kagome tightly, and checked to see if she was okay. Kagome had smiled and shrugged it off before turning her attention to Inori who still lied asleep on Inuyasha's back. Helping the little girl off, both Inuyasha and Kagome lied her down, allowing her to sleep. Inuyasha and Kagome explained what happened to everyone else.

The group was now sitting around a small table in the center of the room. Inuyasha and Kagome sat on one side of the table, Shippo on Kagome's lap, while on the other side sat Miroku and Sango. Kirara was sleeping on Sango's lap as she pet the cat demon.

"Kagome...I'm so sorry for not being able to protect you..." The young taijiya apologized. Kagome just smiled.

"No need to be sorry Sango." She reassured.

"But..."

"No buts."

"If you're wanting a butt Sango, you can have mine. Or I'll just have yours." Miroku smirked, grabbing her butt. That was quickly followed by a loud slap. Inuyasha and Kagome winced at the sound.

Inori's eyes twitched below her eyelids, before her eyes fluttered open. The sound of the slap woke her up. She yawned and sat up, rubbing the sleep out of her eye before turning to face the group. Everyone turned and smiled towards her, making Inori feel a little embarrassed. Inori crawled up behind her mom, hiding behind her shoulder.

"I'm sorry Inori if I woke you up." Sango apologized.

"It's okay..." she blushed.

Kagome turned around and smiled. "Are you hungry at all?"

The young girl shook her head. Kagome nodded, and wrapped an arm around her. Inori snuggled into her mom's side, but frowned. "It's really hard to smell you mommy." she stated.

Kagome blinked, looking down at the girl. "Is that a bad thing?" she asked.

Inori shook her head. "No, not bad...just that I liked your smell. It's relaxing..."

Kagome's face turned a light red, as did Inuyasha's. He had to agree, Kagome's scent was. But he would NEVER admit that to anyone. Sango noticed the hanyou's reaction and smiled, but decided not to tease him for now.

Miroku raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean it's hard to smell her?"

Inori looked over to him, holding onto her mom's shirt tightly. "Usually mommy has a really pretty smell. But now I can barely smell it..."

The monk turned towards Inuyasha. "You have the best nose of anyone here. Is this true?"

Inuyasha nodded. "Yeah. Her scent pretty much disappeared when Sesshoumaru came here. Even I can barely smell it. Whatever gas or spell Sesshoumaru used not only hid _his_ smell, but now I can barely smell Kagome or Inori."

Miroku thought for a moment. "I can understand a gas to hide the smell at the site, but for it to stay on the person and have their smell disappear completely for a while is something I've never heard of."

Sango nodded. "Yes, I'm wondering about that too. Even we didn't have anything that sophisticated in my village. The demons we faced had nothing like this either."

Inuyasha sat quietly in the corner, thinking. He hated the fact that he couldn't smell Kagome, but maybe that wasn't a bad thing. If he couldn't track her, then most likely neither could Naraku. He knew of a sorceress that could help them with it, but did he really want to risk Kagome's safety like that?

"Miroku," Inuyasha stared. "...Have you ever heard of Ichiko?"

Miroku nodded. "Yes, a powerful sorceress who lives in the mountains covered in mist. I hear she makes spells, incantations, armor or special items with powers sealed within."

"I think we should find her. I need to talk to her about something." Inuyasha said, nudging his head towards Kagome's direction. Miroku noticed and nodded.

"We can leave in the morning. It's too late and us humans need to sleep." He teased.

Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "Keh...fine. But we leave first thing." He said as he stood up. Inuyasha walked behind Miroku and grabbed him by his robe and dragged him out of the room once he saw his hand wandering towards Sango's behind.

Kagome smiled and couldn't help but giggle as she watched the two, while Sango rolled her eyes. Inori looked confused, not understanding the situation, while Shippo slept on Kagome's lap. The two young woman smiled at each other before looking at the children.

"Do you want to sleep with me Inori?" Kagome asked. Inori gave a small smile and nodded. She had slept a lot, but she was still a little tired. Plus, she was not going to pass up a chance to sleep with her mom again. Especially since they didn't have to fear of her daddy coming in, kicking Inori out, and hearing her mom's screams the rest of the night. At the thought, she couldn't help but shiver.

Kagome walked over to her sleeping bag and slipped in. She rolled onto her back and patted the open spot next to her. Shippo laid on the spot to her left, with Kagome's arm wrapped around him. Inori slid into the open spot on Kagome's right, and cuddled into her side. A warm smile crossed the young miko's lips, before laying her head down and headed off to sleep. Inori laid there for a few minutes longer, just staring at her mom, before closing her eyes and drifted off back to sleep.

Sango laid across the room, Kirara held close to her chest, and smiled watching the three. Kagome really was just like their mother. Kirara mewed lightly, drawing Sango's attention. She smiled down at her furry friend, before slowly drifting off to sleep herself.

**-x-**

Inuyasha groaned lightly, the morning sun waking him up from his light sleep. The hanyou slowly opened his eyes, wincing slightly from the brightness. His eyes opened, taking a moment to become adjusted. Once they were, Inuyasha looked around, looking for anything different about the room. Noticing nothing, he relaxed.

A smile got caught on his lips as the smell of Kagome in the next room drifted into his nose. He was happy that the gas Sesshoumaru used had warn off. Even if it had been only a few hours, it was still too long for his tastes. Inori's scent had also returned. Her scent was mostly Kagome's which he was happy about. He probably couldn't stand it if she smelled too much like Naraku. A growl erupted from his throat at the thought.

"What's up with you?"

Inuyasha's eyes snapped open, seeing Miroku looking at him with a confused expression on his face. Inuyasha blushed lightly in embarrassment, before turning to pout.

"Nothing you need to worry about. Ain't you still supposed to be asleep monk?" Inuyasha shot at him.

"Kind of hard when you're growling." Miroku shot back.

Inuyasha growled more, and Miroku couldn't help but laugh. He huffed before standing up and walked towards the sliding door. "Start getting ready monk. We're going soon." he commanded before walking out and towards the girls room. They were right next door, so it really wasn't a big walk. Inuyasha listened in before opening the door to see if they were sleeping. They were.

He slowly slid the door open, trying not to be too mean when waking them up. Kagome and Inori has gone through a lot the day before, and he wanted to give them a little break. His cheeks flushed as he looked down at Kagome's sleeping form, her arms wrapped gently around the little girl and kitsune in her arms. A smile was creased on her soft pink lips in her sleep, and he couldn't help but stare. He listened to her soft breathing, and got down on his knee's in front of her.

It would be so easy for him right now to just lean in and kiss her. She would never know. Looking at Inori briefly, a scowl crossed his lips as he thought about her father, and how he must have treated Kagome. Looking back at the young miko's face, his expression softened. He would never allow Naraku to take her...to kiss her...to mate with her. Inuyasha had promised Kagome he would protect her, and he was going to keep to that promise.

"You know, if she wakes up and finds you looking at her like that, I wonder what she'll do." A voice came from behind.

Inuyasha jumped up, and turned to face whoever said it. He was met with a smirking Sango. His cheeks flared bright red. She had seen him staring at her?!

Sango tried hard to block the laugh that erupted from her body, but couldn't help it once she saw how red her friend had become. He grumbled and slid down onto the floor, his face still bright red.

Kagome slowly removed her arm from around Shippo and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. She turned her head to see Sango laughing and Inuyasha sitting down in front of her with his back facing her face. Inori and Shippo quickly shot out of their sleep, his heightened demon ears and her light sleeping catching onto Sango's laughter.

"Sango...?" Kagome asked, yawning slightly.

Sango quieted down to a giggle but smiled. "Morning Kagome. Sorry to wake you."

Kagome blinked. "What's so funny?"

Inuyasha's eyes widened. He swore if Sango told Kagome that he had been staring at her in her sleep, he would tie her up and give her to Miroku for whatever he wanted. He mouthed 'don't you dare' towards her, a glare on his lips. She just smirked.

"Oh, nothing you need to worry about Kagome. Inuyasha can tell you later."

A death glare was sent to her from the hanyou, and she erupted in laughter once again.

Kagome just blinked and looked down towards Inori and Shippo. "Do you guys know what's going on?" They both shrugged and she sighed as she sat up and stretched. Inori just smiled. "Your smell is back mommy."

Shippo nodded and smiled as well. He jumped onto her shoulder. "It was weird. Usually your scent is pretty strong, but there was nothing."

The miko nodded. "Yeah, Inori and Inuyasha explained that to me while you were sleeping last night."

"Get ready you guys, we're leaving soon." Inuyasha interrupted. The flare in his cheeks had died down some, but was still prominent. He quickly hurried out the door, before Sango could say anything else to make it worse for him.

Kagome shrugged and stood up, the two children at her side doing the same. Sango was already up, packing her things as Kagome walked over to her bag. There wasn't much to pack, no one had really touched her stuff. She just needed to put her PJ's and her sleeping back away, and take out a fresh pair of clothes.

Once she finished dressing, she slugged the large yellow backpack over her back. She needed to head home after this trip. Their food was almost gone, she needed more clothes, and she had to take a test. Kagome sighed. Things were so complicated sometimes.

The group set out in the early morning. Kagome glanced down to the watch on her wrist and groaned. It was 6am. She would argue to Inuyasha about having to wake up so early, but something was telling her not to. This trip seemed different than just going to find jewel shards. He was looking for something about her scent from this sorceress Kagome glanced down at Inori, who was holding her hand as they walked.

"Do you want me to carry you? It's a far walk." Kagome asked.

The little girl slowed down, thinking. She wasn't used to walking so far and would like her mom to hold her, but she didn't want to make it harder for her. A little smile crossed her face, shaking her head. "I'm okay mommy."

Inuyasha's ears twitched at the conversation. He was at the head of the group, leading the way. It would take most of the day to get to the mountains, but not at this pace. He stopped and turned to face the group.

"We need to speed it up if we want to get there by sundown." He said roughly.

Kagome groaned. "If we speed up too much, we'll be worn out way before we get there."

"I'll carry you then." He said, crouching down. "Miroku, Shippo, Sango, you guys ride on Kirara. I'll take Kagome and Inori." He said.

Sango nodded and sat Kirara down as she transformed. Shippo jumped off Kagome's shoulder and onto Miroku's. Kagome sighed. _'He's so impatient' _she thought as she climbed onto his back, helping Inori climb on as well. Inuyasha gripped her thighs lightly, before bounding off with Kirara and the others closely behind.

**-x-**

After the many slaps from Sango to Miroku from grabbing her butt, and the many miles they traveled, they finally made it to the misty mountain. Sango and Miroku got off Kirara as she transformed back into her tiny form, but Kagome and Inori stayed on Inuyasha's back.

The place was ominous. A light fog covered a large flight of stairs that led to the peak where the sorceress resided. Inuyasha's grip on Kagome tightened as he began the climb up the stairs. Step by step, the mist seemed to grow thicker. Miroku and Sango followed closely, having a hard time seeing in the think mist.

Nearing the top, Inuyasha's ears twitched around as he gulped. Kagome noticed this.

"You okay? You seem a little nervous..."

He remained silent. It was quiet at the top. Only the soft sound of a light breeze flowing over the mountain top being audible. Inuyasha sat Kagome down and took three steps forward. He couldn't have her close to him for this next part. He couldn't risk her getting hurt. Inuyasha took a deep breath.

Three...two...one...

A scream was heard and Inuyasha's ears flattened to his head. He winced, the sound intensified by the hills. His eyes widened as he was tackled, was knocked about twenty feet back before he fell flat on his back. Slowly looking up, he sighed as the sorceress smiled down widely at him.

"Inu-kun! It's been way too long!"

Kagome and the others blinked. "Um...you two know each other?" Kagome asked. She knew Inuyasha knew Ichiko, but not like this.

Inuyasha nodded meekly as the sorceress turned her attention to Kagome. She just grinned. "Yep, I've known little Inuyasha here since he was a little puppy. Isn't that right Inu-kun?" she smiled, pinching his cheeks. He growled lightly, and his cheeks flared with annoyance and embarrassment.

"Would ya stop calling me that?!"

"What? Inu-kun? No way pal!" She countered, sticking her tongue out at him.

Kagome was stunned to say the least. This woman knew Inuyasha when he was a baby? But...she looked so young herself. She could've easily pulled off looking like an eighteen year old.

Her long, light purple hair was about as long as Inuyasha's, if not a little longer. Her neon green eyes seemed to cut through the heavy mist, while her dark red lips smiled down at Inuyasha. She wore a tight black kimono that only went down to mid thigh. It had some weird designs in gold and red that went down the side of it. Her pearly white teeth were also quite noticeable against her crimson lips, two fangs easy to see.

A ping of jealousy filled Kagome as she watched her cuddle into Inuyasha who was trying to get her off. That ping grew instantly when she saw Ichiko kiss his cheek before hopping up. Sango and Miroku stood in the background, not understanding what was happening.

Ichiko brushed the dust off her kimono before using her lightening quick speed to stand right in front of Kagome. She leaned in and sniffed her, before smiling. "You must be Kagome. I've heard a lot of rumors about you."

"How do you know it's me?" Kagome asked, taking a small step back not liking the girl to be so in her face.

"You have the smell of wood and chickens on your hands. The wood from your bow, and the feathers used to fletch the arrows. Plus, you have a lot of Inuyasha's scent on you." She winked, and Kagome turned bright red. Inuyasha remained on the ground, praying to god to just kill him down as he groaned. First Sango was teasing him, and now Ichiko was doing this? He was thankful Kagome didn't seem to get what she meant though.

In the demon world, if a female is covered in a males scent, it usually meant that they were mated or had just finished rutting. He quickly shook his head, trying to get the image that had just formed in his head to disappear.

Ichiko turned around and looked at him before rolling her eyes. "Get up idiot."

He growled and sat up, glaring daggers into her back. Even after all these years, she was still the same. He sighed and mumbled about her being a dumb old hag. Heck, she was around when his brother was a pup! She WAS an old hag. Ichiko froze. Inuyasha's eyes widened, noting she had heard him. 'Oh shit...'

"What was that, Inuyasha?" She asked calmly, but was really about to explode.

He snorted. "Keh, I was saying how an old hag like you needs to just shut up." He said, sticking his nose up in the air. Bad move. She was instantly in front of him, and he could've swore she was on fire.

"I'LL SHOW YOU WHOSE AN OLD HAG!" She yelled, and pushed down the top of his head and smashed his face into the ground. Basically, she used 'sit' with her own two hands. Inuyasha twitched, as Miroku and Sango winced.

Kagome sighed and rubbed her head. It looked painful, but she knew he had a thick skull. After all the sits she'd given him, if he wasn't dead by now, she knew something like this wouldn't kill him.

Ichiko panted, glaring down at the twitching half demon. Before turning back to Kagome and returned to her cheery mood.

"Sorry for not introducing myself. My name is Ichiko, but I have a feeling you already knew that." She said, and got down on her knee's and stared at Inori. _'This girl...'_ she thought, watching as she hid behind Kagome's leg. _'...she's filled with such sadness...but such power.' _A soft smile formed on her lips. "What's your name little one?"

Inori kept quiet, but Kagome placed a hand softly on her head. She looked up as her mother nodded. Her eyes turned back to the sorceress. "I-Inori..."

"Inori ey? Well now, that's a pretty name for a pretty girl." She complemented, making Inori blush.

"Thank you..." Inori whispered, and Ichiko nodded.

Inuyasha slowly got up, growling as he wiped the dirt off his face. Nope, she hadn't changed one bit. Ichiko turned her head and smiled back at him, like nothing had happened. "So what are you doing in these parts Inuyasha? Those robes I made you holding up well?" she asked, pointing at his haori.

He nodded. "Yeah, they're holding up just fine. I need something else now though."

"Oh? And that is?"

Inuyasha beckoned her with his finger, and she nodded. He turned his attention towards the rest of his group. "We'll be back soon." he explained before bounding off, Ichiko following closely behind.

The rest of the group stayed silent, only the sound was cut by Shippo's voice.

"What the hell...?"

* * *

Okay, I just HAD to end the chapter like that. Looks like Inuyasha is starting to rub off on Shippo! This chapter is a bit longer than the others, so it took a little longer to do. Little comedy and light fluff added in too. Haha! So what is Inuyasha wanting from this sorceress? Can you guess? Anyways, I hope you all liked this chapter. Please review and tell me what you think! New chapter should be up by this weekend or early next week. Stay tuned!

-Miko

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	5. Scent

First of, I want to thank all of those who reviewed. You made me want to type this up that much quicker! So I decided to reply to them just because I can. Second, sorry if this chapter is a little later than expected. It's been a busy week. Anyways, onto chapter five.

Deathmvp:: All of those will hopefully be answered in the next few chapters. I know the first and third one will, we'll see about the second. Thanks for the review!

:: I really appreciate this comment. Makes me feel all good inside, haha. Thank you for the great complement.

Diamond369:: Your wish is granted ;)

KhysserKat:: I really appreciate this comment as well. I'm very happy that you're enjoying it and that you think this has a good plot. Hopefully it keeps that way.

PapAw:: Glad you're having fun. Thanks for the review!

Ksiezna Kaede:: Thank you and here you go

Puppylove7:: Thank you for the complement!

Serene Serious:: You know how much I love you xD I think I'm going to dedicate this chapter to you, just because you rock like that!

* * *

**Chapter five:: Scent**

Two figures jumped from rock to rock up the large granite cliffs, keeping silent on the way up. The air seemed to become cooler every foot they rose, the crisp air brushing their skin as they climbed higher and higher. These cliffs would make it hard for any human to scale, but the two unique beings made it look easy. Light purple and silver hair flowed down their backs from the wind they created, before settling on their backs as they slowed to a stop.

Amber eyes locked with green, the amber serious while the green playful. It was like that for a brief moment, before the green eyes closed. "It's been a long time, Inuyasha. You've changed."

He just nodded. "It has. Been about 100 years."

Ichiko opened her eyes, a sad smile creasing her lips. "You seemed so lonely back then. But now, you seem so happy." She said, placing a hand on his shoulder. She couldn't help but laugh softly as she watched his cheeks flush. "It's because of that one girl, isn't it? That miko?"

Inuyasha face flushed bright red, before returning to his infamous scowl, with a hint of pout. "She's a friend..." He was telling the truth, she was just a friend, but she meant much more to him then that.

The sorceress just smiled. "Don't try to hide it, you love her. I can tell from the way you look at her. You didn't even look at Kikyo with those eyes."

Inuyasha tried to ignore that, the blush never receding from his cheek. "Keh, don't you even wanna know why I dragged you all the way out here?" He asked, crossing his arms.

She rolled her eyes, but nodded. She would get him to talk about the girl later. Usually she would press this further, but something seemed desperate in his eyes. He REALLY needed something, and that was unlike him. Ichiko sat down on a large boulder, crossing her legs as she looked at him. "Of course, now what is is?"

Inuyasha reached into his pocket, and threw an object at her. She caught it without using any effort, and looked down at it. It was a little bottle. "What is this?"

"Open and smell it."

She looked at him, raising an eyebrow before uncorking the bottle. Taking a small whiff, she blinked and looked up at him. "I don't smell anything."

He nodded, glaring at the bottle. "Yeah, it's a weird gas Sesshoumaru made I guess. It has no scent, and when used on someone else, it hides their scent completely. And they stay that way for a long time. He used it on Kagome." He growled out lightly.

"I've heard of this before. It's a special herb that can be used to make such a gas, but it is rare and hard to find. In a gas form, it wears off after a few hours." She told him, looking down at the growling half demon.

"Do you know how to use it?" Inuyasha asked, turning his attention to her face.

Ichiko nodded, sealing the bottle, wanting to save what was left. "I can. Though I doubt you came all the way out here to show me Sesshoumaru's new toys or see if I know how to use them. What is it you want, Inuyasha?"

"I want you to make something for Kagome using that. I want it to be easy for her to carry and not burden her, while at the same time it hides her scent and can stay on her for long periods of them." He explained, sitting down on the ground with his hands tucked into his haori and his leg crisscrossed.

"Why do you wish to hide her scent?" She asked, a little dumbfounded.

"You saw that little girl with Kagome, right?"

She just nodded. "Yes, the one who looks like Kagome. Is she her child?" Ichiko couldn't help but ask. Inuyasha ignored the question for now.

"You ever heard of the demon, Naraku?" He asked, spitting out the name like it was venom.

Ichiko just nodded again. She had never met him, but she knew of him. A terrible demon who seaked out the jewel of four souls and once killed a miko, Kikyo, to get the jewel. The rumors had spread to her all about Inuyasha, how he had been sealed to the tree by that woman. Ichiko never met this Kikyo, but she didn't know how to feel about her. Sympathy for the trap she had been put in which led to her demise. Or anger for sealing Inuyasha, someone she cared deeply for. Myoga had come to her many times in the past explaining the situation, even after he was freed from the spell. 'Was it Kagome who freed him?' she asked herself. Shaking it off, she returned her thoughts to what he was saying.

"Well apparently, that little girl is the daughter of Kagome, but also Naraku. She's from the future."

She blinked. "Wait...You're telling me Kagome mates with Naraku? Doesn't she fight Naraku with you?" She asked, glaring slightly. "Why would she mate with some one like him?"

Ichiko froze when she watched as Inuyasha's jaw clenched, and his eyes flashed crimson for a moment. "She doesn't do it willingly." He snarled, anger bubbling in him at the thought. Realization slammed into Ichiko. 'She gets raped by Naraku...'

Inuyasha forced himself to calm down, needing to explain the rest of the story about how she is taken, he is killed in the future, and Inori is sent back to change the past and Kagome's future.

Standing up, she gripped the bottle tightly in her hand, but not enough to crush it. "So I take it you want to use this to hide her scent so he cannot find her."

Inuyasha just nodded, remaining on his spot on the ground. Ichiko took a look at him, then to the bottle. "I will make you your item Inuyasha. But I must warn you of something." She said, getting on one knee in front of him. He seemed to be relieved.

"If I make this, it will not only prevent Naraku from finding her, but you as well. And unlike the gas Sesshoumaru used, this will not fade away in a matter of hours." She explained. "The item she will wear will stay on for her safety, so she cannot lose it. The only way for it to be removed will be by myself, or her mate."

Inuyasha nodded, taking it in. He was happy he could hide Kagome easier from Naraku, but he would be risking her safety as well. If Naraku took her, he'd have no way of knowing where she was. But that was if he _could_ find her. But still...

Inuyasha looked up at her. "Is there any way I could still track Kagome, even with her item on?" he asked.

Ichiko nodded, rubbing the back of her head. "Well yes, but..." she laughed nervously. This was going to be awkward.

He just growled. "Spit it out!"

Unfortunately, his rude manners didn't help her. She flicked him on the forehead, glaring. "Behave Inuyasha. Do not yell at your elders, especially the ones who helped change your dippers." She shook a finger at him.

Inuyasha grumbled, pouting slightly. Ichiko laughed but thought back at his question. "It is possible for you to track her one other way, but I do not know if you're willing to do it. This depends on your feelings for the girl." She started, but stopped and smiled slightly as his ears twitched.

"You would have to give Kagome a courting mark." She didn't help but notice his face flush bright red at this and sighed. "This doesn't mean you have to mate with her, just giving her a mark. This will allow you to sense her position, and how she is feeling. It doesn't give the full effect like how a mate would, but more of the brief sensory used in courtship. Demons use this to find their courts and aid them if they need it."

"So I just have to...bite her?" Inuyasha asked, gulping loudly. He was not looking forward to having to bite and hurt Kagome.

She nodded slowly. "Just enough to puncture the skin on her neck. Your fangs will automatically secrete a special fluid that allows you to feel her. It'll be like a new...instinct you'll have."

"And if what happens to the mark if we don't mate?" He wondered, noting how Kagome may not want to mate with him. Inuyasha and Kagome were friends, but he had no idea if she had feelings beyond that, especially to take it to that level.

"The mark will remain until either she mates with someone, or it will last three months before it heals."

Inuyasha just gave a small nod. "So when do you think you could finish?" He asked, nudging his head towards the direction of the gas.

Ichiko thought for a moment, trying to decide what type of object she would make. "I think tonight, if everything works out nicely. Tomorrow morning at the latest."

"Good. Let's hurry back so you can get started." He turned around, getting ready to jump but stopped when she put a hand on his shoulder. "What?"

A worried look covered the features of her face. "Inuyasha, you need to be careful as well. I do not wish for anything to happen to Kagome, nor do I want something to happen to you. In your tale, you told me you die, did you not?"

"Keh, there's no way someone like Naraku could take me down."

Ichiko just laughed slightly, patting his head. "Just be careful okay?"

Inuyasha gave a small smile and nodded. "I will."

"One last thing..."

"What?!" Inuyasha growled, wanting to get back already.

Ichiko rolled her eyes. "That little girl has powers beyond anything you can imagine. She has powers close to Kagome's hidden deep inside her." She explained. The feeling she got from that little girl was stronger than any demon at that age, even most older demons couldn't compare.

He stood in a little bit of shock. There was no way Inori could have powers like that, she was just a little kid! But he would accept that. Weird things happen, he just had to look at his own group to see that.

A miko who was from 500 years in the future who was reincarnated from his past love. A monk with a perverted mind and a wind void in his hand. A taijiya who had her whole village destroyed and her brother possessed by Naraku and now is traveling with two demons and a half demon. A young orphaned kitsune who treats a miko likes his mother. And finally him, an inu hanyou who was sealed to a tree for 50 years due to a trick Naraku pulled on him and Kikyo.

Yeah, anything was believable.

He shook himself out of his thoughts. "What kind of powers?"

"I don't know, you'll figure that out in time I suppose."

"Are they a threat to us?"

Ichiko shook her head. "I don't believe so. They're strong, but it doesn't seem like she would lash them out against you."

"Good. Now can we please get back so you can start? We ain't got all day."

Rolling her eyes once again, they began the journey back to the group. Both were silent, having different thoughts to themselves. Ichiko; wondering what to make of the situation and what to make for Kagome. Inuyasha; thinking about Inori's hidden powers, and thinking of an easy way to ask Kagome if he could mark her without it being too awkward.

'This won't be easy...'

**-x-**

Kagome sighed as she, Inori, Sango, Miroku, Shippo and Kirara sat around waiting for Inuyasha and Ichiko to return. They didn't really know what to do, so they just sat around being bored. She sighed once again, resting her chin on her propped up hands. Inori leaned against her, drawing little things in the dirt with Shippo.

"That's really cute Shippo." Inori commented, pointing to his little drawing.

He blushed slightly, rubbing the back of his head. "It's just a bear..."

"It's still cute."

"Thanks."

Inori tried drawing a little fox. "What do you think?"

"That's really good! It looks like my dad."

Kagome looked down at the two and smiled. "Both of your drawings are good you two."

Both of the children smiled up at her. "Thanks!"

They continued to draw for a while before Shippo looked up. "They're back." He told Kagome, his nose picking up their scent. Kagome looked up at the cliffs, and smiled when Ichiko and Inuyasha emerged from the think fog. She stood up, brushing off her skirt, and made her way over to Inuyasha.

He gave a brief smile as he landed on the ground, crouching slightly as he landed. His ears twitched as he listened to Ichiko head off into her little hut, most likely to start on the project he had given her.

"Did you get what you needed?" Kagome's voice cut through to him.

"It should be ready by tonight or tomorrow. We can camp out here until it's finished."

Kagome blinked. "What is it you need anyways?"

"You'll see."

"Tell me."

"No."

"Inuyasha..."

He growled. "Why do you wanna know so bad?"

"Because I'm tired and I need to go home!"

"Keh, you can wait a day or two." It was true, she could wait. It wouldn't kill her to stay. He took a slight step back when he gazed into her eyes, and could've sworn he saw fire. He mentally smirked as her scent spiked in anger. Usually, he wouldn't like this. But now that he wouldn't have the chance to smell her anytime he liked, so he would have to take in as much as he could, while he could.

"I want to see my family! I haven't been home in almost three weeks! I have tests, need to pick up supplies, and we're out of ramen. Fine, I guess it just means you'll have to never have it again since you never want me to go back." She argued, knowing his weak spot.

Inuyasha panicked. "N-no ramen...for forever?!"

Kagome nodded "So let me go back after this?"

He groaned in defeated, and she smiled in victory. The rest of the group shook their heads as they watched the two fight. What was once a conversation about what he needed to get had turned into a fight over ramen.

Only THEY could pull off something like that...

**-x-**

The crimson sun had now set over the horizon, leaving the tired group of travelers to start retiring for the evening. They sat around a small fire, it's blaze illuminating the fog around it, warming the group as they ate their dinner. Miroku noted how Inuyasha seemed to be sitting a little closer than normal to Kagome.

"Is there a reason why you're so close to lady Kagome, Inuyasha?" He questioned, but smiled when his friends face changed from a light to dark pink. "If you wish, Sango and I could leave why you and Kagome get...closer." He grinned.

"Can it Miroku." Inuyasha scowled. "I'm not doing anything different..." he lied. Unlike everyone else, he knew that her scent would be gone by morning. He'd rather surprise everyone then have Inori and Shippo stick around her and hide her scent with their own by clinging all over her. And he didn't want to tell Kagome because she would argue against it most likely.

Miroku's grin widened. "Oh, so you DO want us to leave you two alone" He teased, not letting him ignore the second half of his statement go by Inuyasha.

Kagome turned red while Inuyasha smacked him over the head. Sango just sat eating her soup, mumbling to herself 'idiot.'

After the embarrassing meal, everyone began getting ready for slumber. Kagome pulled out her sleeping bag while Sango and Miroku helped clean up. Inori and Shippo helped out Kagome while Inuyasha jumped up onto a near by tree and took him spot for the night.

He watched as they went to sleep, their slowing heartbeats and soft breathing marking their slumber. Unlike them, he couldn't sleep this night. He had too many thoughts on his mind. It went on like that throughout the night, until his ears detected one of their heartbeats increase. Not to signal a nightmare, but to show they were awake.

Inuyasha looked down at the camp, watching as Kagome opened her eyes. He couldn't help but smile as she looked down at the children who were currently snuggled into her sides. She let out a yawn and rubbed her eyes before slowly sitting up, being careful not to wake them. Inuyasha quietly jumped out of the tree to stand at the base, before going to sit near her head.

She looked at him and gave a tired smile, still half asleep. "Morning..."

"It's the middle of the night. Go back to sleep..." he whispered. It was loud enough for her to hear, but not loud enough to wake the others.

"I can't."

"Yes you can."

"I'm thirsty."

He sighed and reached into her backpack, pulling out a bottled water. She thanked him as she twisted the cap open and took a drink, allowing the cool liquid to help ease the dryness in her mouth and throat. Turning her head to look at what was left of the fire, she couldn't help but blush softly.

"Hey Inuyasha?"

"Yeah?"

"What do I smell like to you?"

The question caught him off guard. "W-where's that coming from?"

She shrugged. "I guess I was thinking about how Inori and Shippo said they liked my scent. I was wondering if you do too..."

Inuyasha could have sworn his face was on fire. Without even realizing it, he took in a deep breath, her scent filling his nose. "You smell fine. You don't stink." He said, but regretted it.

"Oh...well that's good I suppose." She said, before it got back to being quiet. He sighed. He didn't mean to be rude...

"I really like your scent Kagome...it's always been relaxing to me." He admitted, glancing down at her. His heart flipped in his chest when he saw her smile up at him.

"That makes me happy."

Inuyasha gave a rare loving smile at her as he brushed some hair out of her eyes. "Now go back to sleep. It'll be a long day tomorrow..."

Kagome nodded and closed her eyes, quickly falling asleep once again. He couldn't help but laugh to himself at the speed she returned back to her slumber.

Taking his gaze off of her, his amber eyes turned to the hut not far from them where Ichiko resided. A feint light could be seen from the door, and he could hear the sound of her moving about the small home. Giving a soft yawn, he closed his eyes and fell into a light slumber, wanting to get any sleep he could.

Little did he know, they were being watched.

* * *

Yeah this chapter is a little long, but it does hold a lot of information. Okay I know I kept calling it an "object", but Ichiko didn't know what she would make at the time! And yes, I know that there is a little bit of a cliffy at the end, but you all know you love them! Things are going to slowly start picking up in the next few chapters, so I hope you all pay attention and enjoy! Please Review!

Thanks for reading and see you soon!

-Miko

* * *


	6. Fear

Alright, a little late of an update, but not too long I suppose. Been working on this story, plus "The Stray", as well as two others in the works. And two AMV's. Curse my mind for thinking up so many ideas. I would like to thank everyone who reviewed. I appreciate it! Now onto replying to the comments, and then the story.

**Diamond369**: Well here you go then! Thanks for the review.

**Puppylove7**: Yeah, I thought that would be obvious, buuuut it needed to be said. Well the item is reveled now, so I hope you read on and enjoy the chapter. Thank you once again for reviewing!

**Ksiezna Kaede**: Thank you for reviewing.

**Animefreakshow**: Thank you, and I'll try my best. Glad you're enjoying the story!

**Deathmvp**: Why thank you. Glad it didn't come off as tacky or something.

**Pheonixoffireluvsanime**: Well here you go then! Thank you for the review.

**Serene Serious: **Haha thanks. Course I hope you like the "item", since I _knoooow_ you don't know what it is -rolls eyes- haha. Thanks for reviewing again. You rock!

* * *

**_Chapter six:: Fear_**

Sunlight rose over the hills, the crisp morning air blanketing those underneath. The silence of night began to disappear, as the sound of chirping birds awakening filled the morning sky. Inuyasha's ears twitched as the sound hit his ears, his eyes fluttering open before shutting tightly as he let out a jaw cracking yawn. He didn't get much sleep. Most of the night he laid awake thinking, which wasn't uncommon for him.

Looking down at his friends, he sat still as he waited for them to wake up, which didn't take too long.

Miroku was the first to wake up, quickly followed by Sango and Kagome. Kirara mewed as her master awoke, purring as she nuzzled Sango's face. Kagome shook Shippo and Inori gently, getting a small laugh when they both growled and held onto her. They were NOT getting up this early.

Inuyasha's growl woke up Shippo, Inori following suit. You didn't want to disobey him in the mornings...

The hanyou jumped from his perch on the tree, landing with ease on the ground.

"Good morning, Inuyasha." Miroku yawned. Inuyasha just gave a nod.

Kagome watched Miroku yawn, and had a yawn herself. Why did it seem yawns were contagious? [[AN: You ever notice that?! When you watch someone yawn, YOU yawn...random note.]]

She gave a tired smile towards Inuyasha. "Morning...What time is it?"

Inuyasha looked up at the sky towards the sun. "Looks around mid morning."

Kagome sighed, wanting an exact time. Reaching into her yellow bag, she pulled out a small watch. Ah, the conveniences of modern technology. But what she read wasn't something she would ever be happy to see. She groaned. "It's 6 in the morning..."

The majority of the morning was quiet. Kagome and Sango cooked breakfast while Inori and Shippo played with Kirara, glad they could feel like kids for a little while, even if it was a short while. Inuyasha and Miroku sat around the burned out campfire, discussing the current situation at hand.

"What are we going to do about Naraku? Are we just going to wait until he arrives to take Kagome?" Miroku asked his good friend.

Inuyasha growled. "Of course not. We're going to find him, and destroy him before he gets her."

"Are we bringing Kagome with us?"

"I don't know..."

"Inuyasha, as much as I don't want to put Kagome in harms way, we need her. Her strength and skill could help us find him."

"I know that, but we can't just rush in there. Naraku may think ahead or something, and could take Kagome without waiting."

Miroku smiled sadly. "You've changed."

Inuyasha scowled. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Miroku shook his hands in the air. "I don't mean it as an insult. Just, before Inori came with this news, that's something you most likely would have done. You didn't exactly...plan." He laughed nervously.

"That's because I didn't think something like this would happen...I thought I could always protect her..." Inuyasha explained, looking sadly over at his female companion. Miroku's eyes followed.

"I guess you're right. But we must be careful Inuyasha. We're already changing Inori's past. We have to be careful not to disrupt too much, and change the outcome to something you wouldn't expect."

"What?"

Miroku sighed. "When Inori told us of her...present, and our future. She's already changed the past. In her past, we knew nothing of this and ran right into it. Well now that we know, sure we can change it. _But_ that might lead to it somehow in a different way, or something worse. There's no way of knowing."

Inuyasha nodded. "I think I get what you're saying..."

"We must keep a close eye on Kagome and Inori."

"I know that!"

"May I ask something?"

"You just did."

"Why are we here? I know it has something to do with Kagome."

Inuyasha looked towards Ichiko's hut. "You'll find out."

"Oh? When?"

"Today."

"Inuyasha! Miroku! Breakfast is ready!" Kagome interrupted, holding up two plates of steaming warm food. Miroku drooled and quickly rushed over with Inuyasha close behind shaking his head.

He had such a weird friend...

**-x-**

Breakfast went by quickly, and the rest of the morning was pretty quiet. Shippo and Inori played more as Sango and Kagome chatted amongst themselves. Miroku tried the occasional grope, and most of the time was hit well before he could get close.

Inuyasha tried to stay a little further from Kagome, keeping in smelling distance but not enough for Miroku to start questioning. As much as he'd love to be right on her hip, he couldn't draw attention.

It was mid day before Kagome started getting a little antsy. Why were the still waiting here?

Taking a deep breath, she walked up to Inuyasha. He was slouching against a tree with his eyes closed, and she was hoping this wouldn't bug him much. "Inuyasha?"

"Yeah?" He opened one eye.

"How much longer do we have to sit around?"

He shrugged.

"I want to go home soon! Can't we just come back later?"

"We could, but we're not going to."

"Why?"

"I want to pick this up today."

"What ARE we picking up?"

"Something." He answered simply, closing his eyes and crossing his arms.

"Why won't you tell me what it is?!" Kagome asked, starting to get a little upset. This conversation seemed to be going no where!

He sighed, tired of all her questions. "I don't really know, exactly."

That did it. "What do you mean you don't know?! You drag us all out here for something, and you don't even know what it is?!?" She yelled, 'sit' on the tip of her tongue.

Inuyasha's eyes shot up as he cowered back as far as he could into the tree. Usually, he would try to counter that, but he didn't feel like eating dirt. He could see it in her eyes. She was an inch away from sitting him into hell. His ears flattened to his head from the sound, as he tried to think of a good answer to it.

"Kagome, can you please come with me?" Ichiko asked, walking about behind her.

Inuyasha had never been so glad for someone interrupting them in his life.

Kagome took a deep breath, trying to calm down. The quicker she got this over with, the quicker she could go home. A quick glare was sent to Inuyasha before she turned around and followed, entering Ichiko's hut.

Inuyasha sent a questioning glance at Ichiko, who just smiled and entered the hut with Kagome.

Why did he get a bad feeling about this...?

His question was quickly answered when he heard Kagome's scream.

"AH! What do you think you're doing!? Get your hands off of me!"

He shot up and burst into the small hut, but froze in the door. The sight before him...

There stood Kagome.

Covering her chest from the new intruder, with Ichiko dressing her.

With ONLY lingerie on.

Lacey...red...tight...lingerie...

Oh...dear...lord...

Kagome's eyes widened as her face flashed bright red. "INUYASHA SIT!" She screamed and he smashed into the floor. A groan came from his throat as his body twitched on the floor.

Kagome fumed as she tried to hide herself, but Ichiko held tight onto her shoulders. A smile crossed her lips, "Don't you like it Kagome?"

Kagome's eyes snapped to Ichiko, before back to Inuyasha's fallen body. Her cheeks flashed red with embarrassment and anger. "This is why I'm here? You got me lingerie?!"

Inuyasha choked from where he laid on the ground. Feeling some control over his body, he lifted his head to look at the two. Seeing Kagome still in just lingerie didn't help him much, and he looked away. He may like the sight before him, okay LOVE the sight, but he would still respect her. Even he couldn't help but turn a bright shade of red.

"N-No!" He exclaimed, though let out a low growl directed at Ichiko. "Ichiko, you didn't explain WHY Kagome was receiving that, did you?"

She stuck her tongue out. "Must have slipped my mind."

That was answered by a groan as Inuyasha dropped his head and smashed it on the ground. 'Please god, kill me now...'

Kagome was confused. What hadn't she told her? She really couldn't believe Inuyasha would bring her here to get...**this**. Though she did have to admit, it was quite comfy. Another thing that surprised her, how did Ichiko know about lingerie? She didn't think they had this type of stuff in feudal Japan. Sighing, she blushed and looked over at Ichiko.

"What's going on?" She whispered, "And can I please put my clothes back on...?"

Ichiko smiled. "Sure dear." She said as she handed Kagome her uniform. Quickly hiding behind a small screen, Kagome dressed before coming back out, still with the red lingerie underneath.

"Sit, please." Ichiko told Kagome, who complied. Inuyasha still lied on the ground, face down. "Inuyasha told me of your troubles, and asked me to help by making you an item that hid your scent. It had to be easy for you to carry, but something that you couldn't drop. I watched you closely last night, trying to see any strange items of yours that would work. And wall-ah!" Ichiko exclaimed.

Kagome looked down at her body, a little skeptical. "So it hides my scent...? But why? And for how long?"

"Yes, not even a demon with the strongest nose can smell you. It makes it so bad demons like Naraku will find it very hard to find you, especially if he," she said, pointing to Inuyasha, "decides to hide you sometime. Those can't be taken off, unless I take them off, or by your mate." Noticing Kagome's slight look of disgust, she smiled. "Don't worry, it's made of a material that repairs and cleans itself on its own."

A little relief ran over her, but Kagome was still shocked to say the least. She didn't know what to feel really. Embarrassed that she had been spied on and was forced into wearing such...mature attire. Concern, that she had no scent. What would happen if she WAS found? No one would be able to find her. Anger, that she couldn't take this thing off. It was comfy, but she didn't want to wear it non stop! And a little happy, that Inuyasha had gone through the trouble of doing all this to protect her. Ugh, what was she supposed to do?

She crouched down by his side, and frowned. She felt bad for saying sit, after all he had done. He really hadn't known what she would receive, and she assumed him for being a pervert. How could she even think that? He had _always_ been respectful of her.

"Inuyasha?" She whispered.

He lifted his head, his face red and brown from embarrassment and dirt. He said nothing.

Looking away and down at the ground, she bit her lip. Why did she have to be so stubborn sometimes?

"I'm sorry for getting angry with you...I really didn't know and you didn't help by not answering anything..." She apologized. Kagome really did feel bad.

A soft sigh passed his lips, as he slowly got up. He winced slightly. Damn stupid command of hers. But he did appreciate her saying she was sorry, knowing it was hard since she could be as stubborn as he was. Sitting up, her sat in his usual position with his legs crossed under him and his hands tucked into his haori.

Inuyasha 'keh'ed, but looked at her. "It's fine..."

Ichiko quietly sneaked out, trying to leave the two alone for a moment. She could tell it was hard enough for the two. She held in a laugh, thinking of how much fun those two were to watch sometimes. She had never seen two argue so much who weren't married or mated. 'Well,' she thought, 'maybe someday, they will be.'

Kagome frowned. "It's not. You went through all of this trouble."

"It's not a big deal."

"Why did you do it?" She asked, and that question caught him off guard.

Why did he do it? Shouldn't the answer be obvious? He would do anything in his power to protect her, anything. Hell, even beyond his powers. He'd find a way. In a way, the question was an insult.

"What do you mean why did I do it? I did it because I want to protect you Kagome! There's no way I'm letting that bastard Naraku harm you. I promised I would protect you, and I'm keeping my word. I won't..." He trailed off, biting his tongue. It was hard for him.

Kagome placed a hand on his leg. "You won't what, Inuyasha?"

Inuyasha closed his eyes, and placed his hand on top of hers. "I won't let him take you away from me...not again. I won't allow him to take someone I care about again. Kagome...you're my best friend, the only person I can truly trust. If I lost you, I don't know what I'd do..." He explained, his grip tightening on her hand. "With Kikyo gone, you're all I have left...I mean, there are Miroku, Sango and Shippo, but you're different Kagome. When Inori told us what happened, I was afraid. Afraid I couldn't protect you."

Amber eyes opened to meet chocolate brown. Both were filled with so many thoughts. So many emotions. So many questions. Neither would speak, but it would soon become awkward if one didn't. So Kagome gave a brief smile, though her cheeks turned a soft pink. Why was it only now she noticed his hand was on hers?

'Caught in the moment, I suppose.' She thought.

"Kagome..." Inuyasha finally spoke softly again. "I won't let Naraku lay a single hand on you...I promise."

"I know you won't, Inuyasha."

Then she did something that caught him off guard once again. Taking her hand from under his, she wrapped her arms around his chest, resting her head on his shoulder. Even he couldn't fight the blush that came onto his cheeks. He slowly and cautiously wrapped his arms around her, taking a deep breath. It was weird.

Usually, her scent would flood into his nose. But now that she was covered, there's was nothing. And he already missed it. He was temped to asked Ichiko to just take it off, but he couldn't be selfish. He would keep Kagome safe, even at the cost of his happiness.

The moment was quickly ended when they heard a scream. It was like ice water had been poured on them. They both knew that voice, even in that high pitch scream. Inori.

Both shot to there feet and ran outside. Inuyasha had a hand on the sheath of his tetsusaiga, while Kagome was right behind him. Her bow was with her bag and other supplies.

"What happened?!" Inuyasha yelled, looking around. Everything seemed normal...

Shippo laughed nervously, rubbing the back of his head. "Inori and I were playing and I transformed into my pink balloon form. I kind of scared her..."

Kagome couldn't help but sigh in relief. She thought it was much worse...

'Motherly instinct.' She thought.

A scowl formed on Inuyasha's face. "Geez, don't scare her like that Shippo. That scream Inori did scared the living daylights out of me! I almost thought it was..."

"D-Daddy...." Inori interrupted, and looked frozen.

"Yeah, Naraku." Inuyasha said, but something was wrong. Why did she have so much fear in her eyes? Was it that hard to talk about him? Something else was off...She wasn't looking at them...

'What is she looking at?'

Turning around, he froze as well as pure hatred boiled within him. 'Why didn't I smell or sense it?!'

There he was. An evil grin plastered on his face, as red eyes pieced them all. The one who had caused so much pain and suffering. The one who would only lead to more suffering if he lived. The one they all hated with such passion. The one who would hurt Kagome. The one who tricked him fifty years ago, which lead to him being sealed for fifty years. The one they all hunted.

Naraku.

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Okay, finally done with chapter six! Ooooh this is getting a little more exciting! I do hope you all enjoyed. Okay, so the item is reviled, Inuyasha has a little one on one talk with Kagome, and now our favorite bad guy is here! Oh come now, you all know you love Naraku in a hatred kind of way! ...Okay that made no sense what-so-ever. Well like I said, I hope you all enjoyed. I hope to try and update later this week. Please review!

-Miko

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	7. Naraku

Thank you to all who reviewed! It seriously makes me really happy to receive them. I'm also very sorry for the delay! I started my junior year of high school, and they've been giving me tons of work and reading to do. So just a warning, it may be a while until I update again. But possibly not, we'll see. Anyways, onto the chapter.

_Disclaimer: Rumiko Takahashi owns Inuyasha. I do NOT own anything in this story except my own original characters. _

_**Chapter Seven:: Naraku

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All of them stood in silence. So many feelings passed through their bodies. Hate, shock, confusion, anger, fear. Just one look into that monsters eyes could make you sick. And here he was, in the flesh. No barrier, no baboon pelt, just him. Why was Naraku here, and how was it that none of them had sensed it?

"Naraku..." Inuyasha growled through his teeth, subconsciously taking a step in front of Kagome.

Naraku gave a smirk, which only heightened his growl.

"Miss me Inuyasha? You all seem to be doing so well, unfortunately."

Sango scowled, thoroughly disgusted. Miroku put a hand on her shoulder, noticing her body language.

"Calm yourself Sango...we can't rush into things." He whispered into her hear, but kept his eyes on Naraku. She calmed slightly, but was still very tense.

"But...we can get him..."

"We must wait for now."

"For what? Him to attack us?" She hissed.

"Think of the children. If we fight now, they could get hurt."

Sango looked to her left where Shippo and Inori stood close to one another. They both looked so scared...

Ichiko was by their side, while Inuyasha and Kagome were still at the entrance of her hut. Sango had no idea how good of a fighter Ichiko was, she couldn't risk it. They were too close to one another. Even if they did try to separate away from the kids, she didn't trust Ichiko's fighting ability to protect Inori and Shippo. As much as she would love to try and get Naraku, she wasn't going to risk her friends lives, especially the children.

"Fine...I won't fight, unless he attacks us." She mumbled to him.

Miroku gave a nod, gritting his teeth together. He was having just as hard of a time as she was.

Inuyasha clenched his fist tightly, his claws digging into his skin, though he barely noticed this action. His mind was too preoccupied on what to do. If he did nothing, Naraku could get away. If he fought, Kagome would have no protection.

He shifted his eyes to the side, taking a quick glance at her. She had a scowl on her face just like he did, but he could see the hint of fear in her eyes. A growl erupted from his chest. How dare Naraku scare her! Just the mere thought of that made him want to rip out his throat over and over.

Naraku chuckled, looking down at the silent bunch of people.

"Now, unless I heard wrong, that child was looking at me when she said 'daddy', did she not?"

His eyes shifted to Inori's, and grinned.

Inuyasha tightened the grip on tetsusaiga's sheath. "I don't know what you're talking about..."

"Oh, I'm sure you don't Inuyasha. And I bet you also missed that my scent is a part of her, now didn't you? So why don't you stop that act and tell me how that is."

"Go to hell Naraku!"

A chill ran up even Inuyasha's spine when Naraku chuckled. There was something so...evil about it, even more than usual.

Inuyasha unsheathed his sword and lept at Naraku, swinging at full force. Just feet away, he swung his sword which met with Naraku's now formed barrier. The force pushed him back, thrusting him hard onto the roof of the hut, causing it to collapse.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome screamed.

He grunted as he pulled himself out of the rubble. Should've known that Naraku wouldn't be defenseless. A light smirk came across his lips.

"I see you're still too much of a weakling to go without your barrier. Or are you just a coward?"

"You are no match for me Inuyasha, I have no need to waste my time on a weak half demon like you."

"Keh, we'll see whose the weak one!" Inuyasha charged at him again.

Naraku grinned and shot out one of his tentacles, which flew right past Inuyasha.

"Ha! You missed!"

"Who said I was aiming for you?"

Inuyasha turned his head to follow it and felt his heart drop. Naraku was going for Kagome!

Turning in mid air, he rushed down as quickly as he could. "Kagome!"

Kagome reached for an arrow, but then remembered she had no bow or quiver. She had nothing to defend herself with. Thinking as quick as she could, she jumped and dodged it by mere inches.

"M-mommy..." Inori whimpered from where she stood next to Shippo.

She couldn't take this! She had to protect her mom. She wouldn't let mommy be scared like she was in her time. Inori left in an all out sprint towards Kagome, not noticing Naraku's attention was now on her.

"Inori!" Ichiko and Shippo yelled, catching Miroku, Sango and Inuyasha's attention. Kagome lifted her head to see her future daughter rushing to her side. "No Inori! Stay by Ichiko!"

Inori stopped in the middle between the two groups. "But..."

"No buts!"

Inori was now confused at what to do. Her mother was telling her to stay with the others, but she knew she had to help her. Looking down in defeat, she nodded and turned around.

"Now now Kagome, if the girl wishes to join you, then let her." Naraku interrupted.

As quick as a flash, he had sent down another tentacle and wrapped it around Inori's waist, yanking her off the ground and next to him.

"Inori!" Kagome screamed, getting to her feet and running to try and grab her. A firm hand grabbed her wrist, stopping her in her tracks.

Kagome looked back to see who in the world had stopped her, and her eyes met with an amber eyed hanyou.

"Let me go!"

Inuyasha growled. "Kagome stop! There's nothing you can do!"

"I'm not going to let him take her!"

"I know that! But Naraku is just luring you into a trap."

Kagome shook her head ferociously to stop the tears from pouring. "I don't care, I'm not going to let him take her!"

"Dammit Kagome, I'm not going to lose you to him!"

Kagome froze, and looked up at him. He looked so worried, so scared. She knew what was wrong. She knew he was afraid Naraku would take her now, and he had come close just moments ago. While Kagome was distracted with Inori, Inuyasha had still been thinking about those brief seconds that Naraku had almost had her. It had been too close.

"Inuyasha..."

"I will get her back Kagome, but I need you to be safe too. I won't let anything happen to your daughter..." He whispered.

He let go of her wrist slowly, and looked up at Naraku. There he was floating and gloating with his catch, as Inori struggled to try and get herself free from his grasp. Inuyasha snarled and lept once again towards Naraku.

Sango grabbed onto her Hiraikotsu. "Miroku, let's help Inuyasha."

He grabbed his staff and nodded. They both ran and lept as high as they could, much higher than most other humans.

"Hiraikotsu!" Sango yelled as she chucked her weapon, mindful of Inori and Inuyasha.

Miroku reached into his robes, grabbing some seals to try and get rid of his barrier. With Inori and Inuyasha close, he couldn't use his wind tunnel. Not like it would work anyways, Naraku would probably just summon his insects.

Sango's Hiraikotsu bounced off of Naraku's barrier, while Miroku's seals burned on contacts doing no damage. Both cursed to themselves as Miroku slammed his staff against the barrier, while Sango caught her weapon and slammed on it as well. Inuyasha joined in, slashing at his with his tetsusaiga.

Inori looked on scared as her moms three friends tried to come to her rescue. She looked up at Naraku, watching as he grinned at their futile attempts.

Inuyasha looked so determined to get through the barrier though. Inori thought he could get through it, just from will power alone. 'Inuyasha...' She thought, praying he would save her.

"Enough games, it's time for this to end."

Naraku increased the size of his barrier, pushing them off. Miroku and Sango fell to the ground, while Inuyasha fell off and landed on one of the many cliffs. All three got up quickly, brushing off the dirt and dust.

"If you're so determined to get to me, I'll give you a break Inuyasha." Naraku chuckled, and lowered his barrier.

Amber eyes widened in shock. Was Naraku really going to let it be this easy? Or was he really that confident in his strength? Not wasting this chance, he picked up the tetsusaiga and lept for the third time, raising his sword above his head.

"Bad mistake Naraku!" He yelled as he swung with all his might.

Grinning, Naraku lifted Inori in front of him as a shield.

Both Inori and Inuyasha's eyes widened. He was too close to not hit, and with all the force put into the swing, their was no way to stop it. Naraku had tricked him, and Inori was about to pay the ultimate price.

Before the blade could hit, the tetsusaiga was hit by an purple arrow, transforming it back to it's rusty form. The sword shrunk back, missing Inori.

He gave a sigh of relief, and looked down to where the arrow had come from.

There stood Kagome, bow raised, panting. She was all the way by Ichiko, near her yellow backpack. Inuyasha didn't ever think he would've been that happy to have his sword hit by a purifying arrow, but he couldn't be more thankful at that very moment. If she would have missed, Inori would be gone, and he would have been the cause of it.

Landing gracefully on the ground, he landed by Kagome's side and cast her a thankful glance. She returned the smile, but even he could see the motherly warning.

Naraku laughed from where he was, grabbing both of their attentions. Inuyasha glared, sheathing his sword. "Damn you Naraku..."

"Naraku, let her go!" Kagome shouted, raising her bow again and took aim.

Naraku just moved Inori in front of him. "Go ahead and shoot Kagome. Let's see if you can 'hit the mark' as you say." He chuckled.

Inori whimpered, frightened. Why did daddy have to be so mean? Struggling to get free once again, she bit onto his tentacle and began to claw at it. Naraku looked down at her with mild interest.

"Something that weak will have no effect on me little girl."

Casting a glare up at him, she bit harder, but pulled back and spit. It tasted so horrible and it was slimy!

"Inori!" Kagome yelled. Turning to Inuyasha, she gripped onto her bow tighter. "Take me up to her."

"What?! Are you crazy?!" Inuyasha asked, taken back.

Kagome growled. "I need to get in closer range to try and hit Naraku."

Inuyasha looked at the ground. "It's too dangerous."

"I don't care." She rapidly replied.

"Well I do!"

"If you don't, I'll just get Kirara to take me up."

"You won't even get the chance to get near her." He warned. He wasn't letting her get that close to Naraku.

"Don't make me say the 's' word."

"You can sit me to hell for all I care later, I'm not letting you go."

"Why don't you just accept her request Inuyasha? It shall entertain me. Unless you want this girl to give me entertainment instead?" Naraku interrupted, and lifted up Inori. Squeezing his tentacle tighter around her waist, she screamed in pain as it became much harder to breath.

"Inuyasha, please!" Kagome begged, not able to take this much longer.

Inuyasha cursed to himself. Shit, he had no choice anymore. Crouching down on one knee, he put his hands behind him. "Get on, quick."

Kagome nodded and quickly saddled onto his back, placing one hand on his shoulder, the other held tightly onto her bow.

"Ready?"

"Yes."

He jumped straight to Naraku, hope in his eyes. If anyone could get to Inori, it was Kagome. Her will was strong, her powers were extraordinary, and her desire to get her child back was an unstoppable force. Grinning, he truly believed this would be easy.

Oh how wrong can you be.

Before Kagome could even load the arrow, Naraku had shot out a tentacle and slapped him to the ground before he could dodge. He twisted in mid air, pulling Kagome to his chest before the two landed hard on the ground. Inuyasha had taken most of the blow, and could feel that the fall had broken his arm.

Kagome lifted herself off him, and held onto her head. "Ow..." Taking a look down at Inuyasha, she gasped. "Inuyasha! Are you okay?!"

He laughed painfully. "Heh this? Just a scratch." He said as he forced himself to sit up. He instantly regretted trying to use his arms to lift himself off the ground as he fell back in pain, gripping his arm.

"Your arm...it's broken..." Kagome said as she lightly touched his arm.

"It's nothing. Doesn't hurt." He lied, but his eyes opened wide. "Kagome, duck!"

She looked at him with a confused look before screaming as she was thrown off of him before Naraku tentacle pierced through her. But at the expense of her life being saved, Inuyasha was struck at the base of his chest, just below his ribs.

He gasped out as the breath rushed from his lungs, his eyed opening wider in pain. He let out a small groan of pain when Naraku yanked it out of him.

"Whops, I missed."

Inuyasha glared with pure hatred at Naraku. "Damn you..." He groaned before the blood loss caused him to fall unconscious.

"Inuyasha..." Kagome said as she got up. She tried to take a step towards him, but was held back. Turning, she saw Sango holding her back.

"Kagome, you need to stay here. Miroku and I will handle this."

Miroku came up behind both of the girls and gave a sad smile. "We'll take care of it from here. Get Inuyasha to a safe spot."

"What about Inori?"

Sango glanced up at Naraku. "I don't think he's going to actually hurt her Kagome."

"What do you mean?"

"Well...Don't you think he would've by now if he really wanted to? He's using her to get to you, Kagome, and to kill Inuyasha. He knows you two have a connection to her."

Kagome glared at the ground, before looking back at Naraku. Maybe Sango was right...

But could she really just leave her child behind? Would Inori feel betrayed? What if something happened while she wasn't there.

"You're not going anywhere Kagome."

All three turned around and gasped. Naraku was behind them, Inori in one arm, and another arm that shot out to grab Kagome. She shrieked as he yanked her up and shot back into the sky.

"Kagome!" Miroku and Sango shouted.

Ichiko watched intently, analyzing all their moves. There was no way she could help them. Naraku was too powerful, and she was no fighter. She knew simple spells, but nothing that would even faze him. The best she could do is watch and stay out of their way.

Kagome glared up at Naraku, but took a glance at Inori. She was scared, but she wasn't hurt. A little but of relief passed over her, but that didn't last long. They were in Naraku's grasp, their fate in his evil hands.

"What do you want from us Naraku?" Kagome asked.

Naraku chuckled. "I just wanted to know who this girl is. Now why is it that hard to answer?"

"It's none of your business..."

"Oh, it is though Kagome. She holds my scent, and has called him her father. Now how is that not my business?" He asked as he pulled Kagome close and lifted her chin to look directly into her eyes.

Kagome recoiled in disgust.

Naraku's face turned into a look of lust. "You remind me of Kikyo." He said as he placed a hand on her cheek. Even at the mention of Kikyo, Kagome's heart sank. She hated when she was compared to her. They were so different, and she always seemed to be the lesser of the two.

Kagome tried to pull herself as far away as possible, though knew it would do little good. Naraku could easily overpower her. She felt sick as he looked at her with those strange eyes. Full of hatred and his lust for Kikyo.

He grinned at her disgust. "Even now, your anger is just like Kikyo's. She looked at me with those same eyes."

"I'm not Kikyo..." Kagome hissed out.

"Which is even better. She had the power to keep me away, while you do not."

He grabbed her by the back of the head, and pulled her towards him, her face getting close to his. Ugh! He was trying to make her kiss him! Kagome used all her force to push back, but he tightened his grip and continued to pull her forward.

"Get away from her Naraku!" Sango yelled as she chucked her hiraikotsu.

Naraku cast a scowl towards her, erecting his barrier. "Do not interrupt me slayer."

His tentacle let out a strong miasma around Inori, Kagome and himself, forcing Sango to stay down for the moment.

Miroku had no choice but to watch. If he used his wind tunnel, he would be poisoned by the miasma and killed, or Naraku could use Inori or Kagome as a shield.

Sango put on her mask to keep the poison out, and called for Kirara. A fiery inferno enveloped the small feline, before revealing a large saber tooth beast. It roared, jumping to its masters side.

"Sango!" Miroku called out. "Be very careful!"

Sango gave a nod, before mounting Kirara and took off into the skies into the miasma. She had to be very careful that he didn't knock her mask off. Breathing this in would surely kill her.

Kirara did her best to go around the miasma. She may be a demon, but even this was powerful poison to even her. Approaching the barrier, she let out a loud roar again and slammed her paws into the barrier, as Sango slammed it with her weapon.

"It's useless Sango. A human like you can never make it past my barrier." Naraku said calmly, still having a firm grip on Kagome. Inori kept quiet, afraid for her friend and her mom.

Sango ignored it. Of course she knew it wouldn't work, but she had to try. No one else could save Kagome and Inori, or try to at least. She kept slamming it into the barrier, Kirara helping out my clawing at it and slamming her powerful paws on the orb like sphere.

"Sango..." Kagome whispered, astounded by her friends determination.

No. Sango couldn't lose Kagome. She was like a sister, and wasn't about to lose her. She didn't give up on Kohaku, and wasn't about to give up on Kagome. She would lose no one else to Naraku, no one.

"I believe you have interrupted us long enough Sango. Enjoy your peaceful slumber of death!" Naraku yelled as he shot a tentacle through her right shoulder. Sango screamed as she fell off Kirara, the demon cat rushing to try and catch her.

The demon cat caught Sango on her back, bringing her down to the monk. He quickly craddled the woman in his arms, putting pressure on her wound. If he could stop the bleeding, he could possibly save her life. "Naraku you bastard!" Miroku yelled.

For the first time in a long time, Kagome felt hopeless. Inuyasha was badly injured and unconscious, Sango was also badly injured, Miroku couldn't help them, and she was trapped with Inori in Naraku's grasp. Could things get any worse?

...If you're talking about Naraku, anything can become worse. The good can become the bad, the bad can become the horrible, and the horrible can become the unbearable in a matter of seconds.

Naraku smirked and turned his attention back to the woman in his grasp. "Now Kagome...where were we?"

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Well, how about that. A longer chapter for the longer wait! Lots going on in this chapter, and the next chapter is all planned out and ready to type. But what's the fun of having it all shown at once? Little cliffy. What will happen next?! Stay tuned for the next chapter of CHANGING THE FUTURE! _-Dramatic music plays now-_

Anyways, please review and tell me what you thought! Wanting at least 5 reviews before I update ;)

-Miko

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	8. Power

Sorry for the really late update. Been busy with school, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and other activities. Hope I didn't make you guys suffer too much. Also, for those who read my other story, "The Stray", I'm not forgetting about it. Just trying to come up with more idea's for the chapter, and future chapters. It's a little more complicated than this story (to me at least.). Anyways, on with the chapter!

Disclaimer: _Rumiko Takahashi owns Inuyasha. I do NOT own anything in this story except my own original characters.

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**Chapter Eight:: Power**

Inori watched with fear for her mother and friends. This was all her fault. If she had just listened to her mom, she wouldn't have put her in this position. 'I'm sorry mommy' Inori thought, tears about to flow from her eyes.

Kagome looked at her daughter and gave a small smile. She didn't want for her to cry. "It's okay Inori, everything will be fine." Kagome reassured her daughter, but wasn't so sure herself. This was going to be tough to get out of. But they've pulled out of tough situations in the past just fine, they could do it again! ...Right?

"You sound so sure of yourself, Kagome."

Kagome's eyes shifted to Naraku's, a scowl forming on her face. That monster...

"We will defeat you, Naraku."

"Now how can you defeat me, when I have incapacitated all of your friends, and you can't even move?" He asked, amused.

Kagome struggled to wiggle from his grasp, but it did no good. All it did was make him squeeze tighter. She gasped, the air escaping from her lungs from the pressure. She shut her eyes tightly from the pain of the pressure on her ribs. If he didn't stop soon, he would probably break her ribs or she would black out.

Luckily for her, he did loosen a bit.

"See Kagome? There is nothing you can do to harm me."

Naraku lifted her up, bringing her body in close, her face only a foot from his. But even that was too close for her liking. Kagome recoiled in disgust, leaning back as far as she possibly could in his tentacle. There was no way she was going to kiss that creeper! Naraku smirked, leaning in further than the distance she pulled away.

What was she going to do? Her hands were pinned to her side so there was no way she could grab for an arrow, and didn't think there was much she could do with her powers right now. She was no Kikyo. Inuyasha was in bad shape and unconscious, so there was no way for him to save her, Sango was in a little better condition but still needed help. Miroku was keeping her alive, so he couldn't fight. Kirara was also out, and Ichiko seemed to be watching over Shippo.

She was stuck with no way out, but she wasn't about to give into Naraku.

"What do you want with me Naraku?" Kagome couldn't help but ask, still trying to keep herself as far away as possible from him. Inuyasha was out, so he didn't need to use her as a shield or something to bribe him with. If he wished to kill her, why hadn't he done it by now? The fight was pretty much over, so why? Then she remembered his question. Naraku wanted to know about Inori.

An evil grin crossed his lips. "Who is the girl, dear Kagome?" He pulled her closer, her face now mere inches from his.

"I said it's none of your business!"

"She smells of you and of me, and called me her daddy. Now how is that none of my business?" He asked, raising an eyebrow in amusement. "I have yet to bed you, so now it just makes no sense. Are you giving me a sign you actually wish to give me an heir?"

Of all the nauseating things...Kagome about gagged at that thought. "I would _never _sleep with you!" She spat, wiggling once again to try and escape his grasp. It was a good thing he didn't know about the fact she could travel through time, and the fact that Inori had as well.

"Come now Kagome, would it be so bad? You and I could rule everything."

"I would rather die!"

A dark look crossed his eyes. Kikyo had refused him, and now this wench was doing the same. What was wrong with these crazy women? What was wrong with power? Even he knew it wasn't about him being a hanyou, so was Inuyasha and those two were head over heals for him. Okay, so he had killed some random people, tricked her friends and ruined their lives. Why did she still refuse him? For someone as evil as him, he would never understand it. All he would even get was what he wished for, and if he didn't, things would die.

"That can be arranged. I have no quarrels killing you dear miko. I killed Kikyo, I can kill you." His lips touched her neck, right above her pulse. "It would be so easy to stop your heart. Humans are just so fragile, I would barely have to lift a finger to make your life stop. It would be so easy to snap every bone you have, to tear your skin off piece by piece until all the blood in your sweet body would be on the floor, to rip your beating heart out, to burn all your flesh, or just to push you into insanity. It's all too easy. But wouldn't that be too easy Kagome? For you to just disappear and escape into death, my fun would be all gone. Inuyasha would be so easy to kill after that, as would Miroku and Sango." He mumbled against her neck.

All she could do was freeze in terror. His slimy lips against her neck made her stop everything and just stay still. It wasn't that she enjoyed it, oh gods no, it was just so chilling that she literally froze.

"For Sango, to not only lose her dear brother to me, but then her good friend Kagome?" He smirked, nipping at her neck. "Then Miroku who would see his friend gone and could do nothing to help because of the limits on the wind tunnel I gave him, and to watch Sango suffer." It was too quiet for Miroku to hear, which Kagome was glad for. But Inori heard, as did Ichiko. The three of them knew that would be painful for those two. "Even the little fox, who now would be so easy to kill, would be nothing."

Kagome shut her eyes tightly, a single tear dropping, wanting this nightmare to end.

"Then finally, there's Inuyasha." Naraku pulled his head away from her neck to look into her chocolate eyes. But they were closed, and that pissed him off.

Pulling on the tentacle that held Inori, he squeezed it and she let out a cry. Kagome's eyes instantly shot open at the sound, and he let out a chuckle. "Keep your eyes open. I couldn't want to crush her accidentally."

Her hands balled into fists against her sides.

"As I was saying..." He went back to bite her neck, and she hissed out in pain. His teeth pierced the skin to draw blood, but nothing to severely injure her, yet. Instantly, he loved the taste of her blood. It was so sweet to him, and he only wished for more. But this delight would need to be saved, and for him alone. Besides, he needed to continue. "Inuyasha would be nothing once you're gone, nothing but rage. It wouldn't be a fight after that, just dodging and one pierce through his heart. Your death is their death Kagome."

His logic seemed to hit her hard, he could see that. The way her head turned to look down at her friends, the tears that flowed from her eyes, the soft mumbling of their names, he could see it all. She was too easy to fool. Though it wouldn't surprise him if his logic was right, especially about that disgusting half demon.

"Now Kagome...have you changed your mind?"

Kagome bit her lip and turned to glare. "I'll never be with you."

"That's too bad."

And just like that, his tentacles squeezed tight, this time having no intention of stopping. Kagome let out a gasp of pain as her arms were crushed to her sides, the little air she had flowing out. It hurt and no matter how hard she tried to breath in, the air was just sucked right back out. "I-Inu..." she gasped out, a natural reaction for when she was in trouble.

But he wouldn't come. He couldn't save her this time.

Was this going to be it? Was this how she was to die? In the grasp of Naraku while her daughter watched on? It wasn't so bad, it's better then just being hit by a car. At least she was trying to do some good, and at least her friends were still alive. For how long, she didn't know. She could only hope for a long time.

What would her mother think? Would she be upset that Kagome never came back? Would she believe that her daughter was killed, or that she choose to stay, or that the well sealed? What would her friends know that she died, or would she go to some 'hospital' and never return? Would Souta do well in school and keep his girlfriend? So many questions filled her mind those few seconds she had left.

Without her, would Sango finally get Kohaku back then settle down with Miroku, who would be freed from the wind tunnel? Would Shippo grow up to be a strong and happy fox demon? Oh how nice it would be to know if they would come out okay. She didn't wish for them to die, she wanted them to live and be happy, to move on with their lives.

Would Inuyasha be okay? He was the one she worried about the most. Sure Miroku, Sango and Shippo were all there for him, but would he be okay without her? Shippo was so young and a full demon, so it would be easy for him to find friends, while Miroku and Sango had each other. For her favorite grumpy hanyou...would it be so easy?

And what of Inori? What would happen to her? If Kagome died here, would she still exist or disappear? It made her wonder as to what would happen to the young girl. If she did manage to survive, who would take care of her? Inuyasha, Miroku, Sango, Ichiko, Kaede? Who?

Her eyes fluttered open to look at the girl, screaming out to her. It made her heart sink, but there was nothing to do. All she could do was hope this wouldn't last much longer. The burning of her lungs from lack of air, the pain of her body being crushed, lack of oxygen depriving her of life. She gave a single smile before closing her eyes, awaiting death to take her away. It didn't take long for everything to stop, to not feel pain, to just fall into black.

-x-

Life. The force that keeps us all on this earth, the one that can give such joy or such sorrow. It was given and taken so easily, and compared to time was such a flicker that few noticed each time it was lost. It was like light. Someone's life could bring someone out of the darkness and give them their own light. Some lights were brighter than others, and those were the ones to cherish. When their light flickered out, it was harder for everyone.

Kagome was one of those lights.

But her light had yet to flicker out, her light was still needed. For what, she would never know, but it wasn't time to give up. She was needed, and refused to disappear.

Darkness was all around, but she could hear voices. It was hard to make out who they were or what they were saying, but she wasn't alone. They sounded so familiar. One was of someone she knew very well, the other not quite. But she knew them. Realizing her eyes were closed, she forced the two orbs to open, her eyes adjusting for a moment in the higher amount of light.

She was inside, a hut from what she could tell. A fire wasn't too far off since she could tell the changing in light, hear the crackling of the wood and feel its warmth. Why was she inside? What had happened.

"Kagome!"

That was her name right? The one being called right now. Her head turned to the sound, smiling at them. Miroku was by her side and gripping her hand, no perverted motive in the way he gripped it, she could tell that alone from the way he looked at her. The only thing she could see in those eyes were both relief and worry. What an odd thing...

"Miroku..." Kagome winced, her throat sore from how dry it seemed. It felt as if it had been transformed into sandpaper and constricted at the same time. "W-water..."

He gave a brief nod, asking the person behind him for something to have her drink. Chocolate eyes looked beyond him and spotted the person he was speaking to. It was Ichiko, the sorceress she had met and who had made her the special...item...Oh gosh, she had almost forgotten about that thing! Why did Inuyasha have to take her to get that, or more specifically, why did it have to be that?! It was embarrassing enough to have to wear something like this, but he had seen her in it too! Wait...Inuyasha.

Kagome sat up quickly, a little too quickly, and fell back against the small futon below her. That...wasn't smart. Miroku came back a moment later and sighed with a slight roll to his eyes at her actions. Her cheeks reddened at being caught doing such a stupid mood.

"You need to be a little more careful Kagome. You're still recovering from earlier." He was quiet as he lifted her head and brought the small cup to her lips so she could have a drink of the water it contained.

She took a few sips, feeling the water instantly soothe her throat. As he pulled the cup away, she smiled and continued to sit up the rest of the way on her own, this time a lot slower. "Thanks a lot Miroku." Kagome said as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes. How long had she been out, and what had happened? It was all a blur...

"Miroku, what happened? Last thing I remember was Naraku showing up..." She told him honestly, looking down at the hands that were on her lap. "And where are we?"

"We're in Ichiko's spare hut a little above her home. It was damaged during the fight, so we had to relocate here." He answered, waving his hand up to beckon the owner. Him and Ichiko came to sit next to her, both giving a concerning glance to the young miko. "Is that really all you remember Kagome?"

Kagome gave a nod.

He just sighed. "Sango and Inuyasha are in some pretty bad shape, and both are still unconscious now. They'll live, but it's going to be a while until they're back to a 100%. Inuyasha has a broken arm and lost a lot of blood when the tentacle went through his abdomen, and Sango is recovering from the wound Naraku put on her shoulder. She also lost a lot of blood, but I was able to compress it enough that she'll make it." He explained, self relief evident on his face. Kagome knew how much the monk cared about her and was happy to know her friends made it, even if they were hurt.

But there was another she was worried about.

"What about Inori...what happened to Inori?"

His face was hard to read, so Kagome took that as a bad sign. Ichiko noticed the priestess wishing to get up, and quickly grabbed her shoulder. "She's fine Kagome, all she needs is a little rest." The sorceress answered her thoughts, and smiled as Kagome relaxed under her hand.

But still, so many questions remained unanswered to her. Memories started coming back then, now that she was awake enough for her mind to start grinding to remember. She remembered Inuyasha and Sango being injured, and Miroku's worried face, and Inori with her in Naraku's grasp. It also came back to her that he had constricted her, and remembered feeling like she had died.

How was it that she was alive?

"Miroku, Ichiko..." She stared, looking up at the two. "How am I still alive? Did Inuyasha save me?"

Both shook their heads.

"No Kagome, the one who saved you was Inori." Miroku explained, not surprised at the confused look on her face.

"Wait...Inori? But how..."

Before he could open his mouth to speak, Ichiko had already begun. "She was under much distress as she watched you, her mother, being in such pain while knowing no one could help you. A demons emotions can control what they do, and one with partial demon blood such as herself has a much harder time controlling it. I'm sure you've seen Inuyasha transform before, have you not?" Kagome could only nod, "Well that is essentially what she did. She drove off Naraku. I swear to you Kagome, I've never seen or felt a power like that before!"

"But she's just a little girl, how could she have that much power?"

"Well...she is your daughter Kagome. Plus with Naraku's blood as well, the two created a very powerful being. It's only natural she would have a lot of power and be able to do that, but even I'm amazed at how strong she is considering her age." Ichiko answered, thinking back on how much she had done. She explained to Kagome what had happened, and watched the different expressions that crossed her face as she told the woman what her little girl did to one of the strongest demons in the land.

When she transformed, her eyes had turned a crimson red, with purple and black pupils. Naraku like tentacles had come out of her back, thrashing all around her while releasing a miasma. There was no doubt to her then that Inori was Naraku's child then, but what happened next astounded her. The way she glided in midair, as if flying, as she came at Naraku viciously. The ends of her tentacles glowed a bright pink as she whipped them at him, purifying whatever they hit. The way Naraku yelled out in pain as each one hit had even given her chills, wondering how it felt. She didn't feel sorry for the man, oh goodness no, but it didn't mean she still didn't cringe at the idea of what was happening to him.

He had let go of Kagome by then, her limp body falling back to earth. Even in her transformed state, Inori knew that she was important and had saved her, holding her bridal style and lowering Kagome to the ground before going after Naraku once again. This time, she didn't hold back. The way she would strike at him was incredible, the speed of it was hard even for her demon eyes to keep up. The fact Naraku could still get away and move was impressive itself. He had tried to fight back, but in that state, she gave little room for him to hit.

After about two minutes of straight fighting, even Naraku could see there was no use in fighting like this. He would not win. He flew off in a cloud of miasma, and it wasn't long after that that Inori changed back to normal. The strain of being in the form had exhausted her and she fell to the ground asleep. Ichiko had to hurry to grab her before she would get hurt hitting the ground.

Miroku rubbed the back of his head and nodded. "I have to agree with Ichiko. Even when Inuyasha had transformed I haven't seen anything like it."

Kagome just stared at the two, finding it hard to believe. Even with all that being told, she was still worried about her daughter.

"Where is she now?"

Ichiko pointed a few feet behind her, where there lying under a few blankets lied the sleeping child. She looked so peaceful in her sleep, it was hard to imagine that this child had driven off Naraku. Kagome also noticed that about two feet past Inori lied Inuyasha on a futon. Without another word to Ichiko and Miroku she crawled over to the two people who meant so much to her in the entire world.

She sat between them, a hand placed on one of their hands. One hand was so smile, while the other in one larger than hers. It was the little moments in life like this that made her feel so happy, and so happy to be alive. Today, she really thought she had died and would never see them again. Death itself hadn't scared her more then the wondering of how her friends would come out in the end, and now she would be able to know.

A smile crossed her lips as she leaned over Inori's sleeping face and kissed her small cheek. "I'm so proud of you Inori, thank you for saving me." She whispered to the sleeping girl, before turning to Inuyasha.

He looked to be in some bad shape, his arm wrapped up as well as his chest in bandages which Miroku must have took out of her bag. It wasn't a new sight, but one she hated to see. Her cheeks turned a soft pink as she placed a hand on his cheek and placed a soft kiss on the corner of his lips, glad he was asleep so this wouldn't be as embarrassing. Even so, she still closed her eyes.

"Thank you for saving me as well, Inuyasha..." She whispered, her hand still on his cheek as she smiled down at him. Brown eyes opened to meet a red faced, amber eyed, _awake_ hanyou.

"Your welcome."

* * *

Oh gosh, just had to add that at the end. Well anyways, hope you all enjoyed the chapter. I would have added the Inori X Naraku fight scene, but it's much easier to summarize what I saw in my head. Please review and tell me what you think. I hope to get seven reviews before I update again. Come on, I know you can do it! Anyways, see you soon!

~Miko 


	9. Heat

Thank you to all who reviewed! I really loved all of the complements I've received. They all help me push forward with my ideas and make me want to write even more. Once again, thank you and enjoy the chapter!

Disclaimer: _Rumiko Takahashi owns Inuyasha. I do NOT own anything in this story except my own original characters._

**Chapter Nine:: Heat  


* * *

**

The rest of that long stressful day had been awkward to say the least. After Kagome had been caught by Inuyasha kissing close to his lips, the two had both turned bright red and refused to look at one another for the rest of the day in fear of being caught staring or longing to have it happen again. It was bad enough yelling at themselves in their mind, but to actually see the other was too hard for the shy duo.

Kagome couldn't for the fact she had been caught kissing him when they didn't even have a relationship, nor has she ever really kissed a guy before. Well, okay Inuyasha _once_ in Kaguya's castle, the one who tried to extract Inuyasha's human blood and make him a demon, but that had only been to snap the raging hanyou out of his bloodlust and return him back to normal.

It still amazes her to this day that the kiss even worked.

Inuyasha, on the other hand, had his mind racing and couldn't seem to slow the thoughts down to process them. They all centered on her, the miko who captivated his heart. Why did he have to let her know he was awake? Why did he have to acknowledge her thanks with a stupid "your welcome." Why couldn't he have kept his damn eyes closed like he had been!?

Was it that he was actually shocked she had kissed him? Was it that he had to see it to believe it?

Her luscious pink lips so close to his, mere centimeters in fact...

If only he had just turned his head to the side, just like he was turning his head in his sleep, he may have experienced them in full. How he longed to one day feel hers on his again once again one day. The memory of the last time was still fresh in his mind. It was the only thing he could thank that wench Kaguya for.

Now that he thought about it, he had actually never kissed her, she had always been the forward one to kiss him, and it was always when she thought his mind was somewhere else. Did she expect him not to remember or something? Did she expect him to never know and she could get out of it? He remembered them clearly, whether she liked it or not.

It's not like he could forget, nor that he wanted to.

At least now it was time to settle down for the night and finally everyone could go off to sleep so he could have peace to think. The day was always so busy, especially today, and rarely did he have time to think in depth. At least his friends had all survived, that's all that mattered. They would probably be there for another day so he could get his strength up to protect them for things to come. He needed to think of how to handle it.

Inori had woken up not long ago, but only because Kagome had made her so she could eat before the little girl collapsed from exhaustion once again. He couldn't help but wonder why. Did Naraku stress her out that much? Course, she was just a child, it was to be expected.

Sango had also awoken, but unlike Inori she had done that on her own. Miroku was instantly by her side, keeping his hands to himself as he helped the wounded warrior eat and held her steady as Ichiko bandaged the wound on her shoulder. Everyone knew it would be a while until she would be able to fight again, though they also knew she would probably be too stubborn to lie down the whole time and do nothing. Sango wasn't one to just kick back and do nothing, even if she was injured.

Amber eyes flicked to the young priestess before him, her back turned towards him as she dug through the large yellow backpack she seemed to always have with her. Why did she even need so much crap with her all the time anyways? It made no sense to him. All those books took up so much room in that damn thing, and it's not like they were super light. He can't count all the times she's complained about her shoulders hurting. Besides, she **never** studies when she's traveling with them. Why even bring the stupid things?

Better yet, she can stop going altogether.

A grin appeared at that thought. '_That way she can stay here all the time instead of going to school.'_

"Hey Ichiko?" Her voice filled the quiet room and his ears couldn't up but perk up.

"Yes?"

"Would there happen to be a hot spring or something close by?"

The sorceress nodded. "Yes, there's one not far from here, about half a mile to the east."

Kagome smiled. "I think I may go then. I want to wash off all the dirt and slime from Naraku." She shivered, making a disgusted face.

"I understand," Ichiko laughed before glancing at Inuyasha, a playful smirk on her face. "You should go as well. Someone needs to protect her. I have to change Sango's bandages."

Both teens felt their cheeks heat up.

Before Kagome could open her mouth to decline the offer, he was already accepting. "K-keh fine. Guess someone's gotta watch over a klutz like you." He stood up, wincing at the pain in his arm. Even for a demon, it took time to heal bone.

Kagome wanted to say something back to him, to retaliate after the nickname he had given her, but couldn't find any words to say. He was right, she was a klutz who always got in trouble. That's why her friends were hurt and so exhausted. She had no room to argue. Instead, she grabbed a towel and some fresh clothes before the two left together.

Sango glanced over at the sorceress with a confused look on her face. "But you just changed my bandages less than an hour ago."

"I know. But they don't know that." She winked, and Sango could only laugh.

**-x-**

The two walked in silence for half the distance, their feet carrying them at a slow pace. It wasn't until about the halfway point that she noticed him holding onto his broken arm. "Is it hurting you?"

"Hmm?"

"Your arm."

Inuyasha shrugged. "A little but not really. It's no big deal, I've had much worse than this"

Kagome frowned, looking at the ground. "I'm sorry..."

Inuyasha stopped, and turned to face her. She had to stop quickly so she wouldn't run into him. "Don't be. I choose to protect you Kagome. Besides, it's just a broken arm, not like I haven't had plenty of those in the past. It'll be all healed up in a couple days." He smirked, patting his arm lightly.

Kagome rolled her eyes at his 'invincible' attitude. "You need to be more careful." She murmured as she touched his arm, and he let out a loud groan. "I thought you said it didn't hurt!"

"Not when you push on it!"

"I didn't push!" She argued back. "All I did was lightly touch it."

"Did not."

Kagome barely touched his arm and he let out a wince. Dammit, was his arm broken in a few spots or something? It was really sore. "Stop acting like a tough guy and admit it hurts." She glared.

Inuyasha debated in his head whether to give in and admit she was right, but his pride wouldn't allow him. He was a demon for crying out loud. A big, strong, _male_ demon. He's survived holes in the gut time after time. Something like this shouldn't hurt, but it did. A lot.

All he replied was a simple "Keh."

She only sighed once again, before brushing past him to continue on her way to the hot springs. If he wasn't going to admit it and would be this stubborn, there was no use fighting it.

The steam from spring was soon visible, making it a little harder to see. Was this what had caused the whole mountain to be covered in a mist? No, it had to be the altitude of Ichiko's home that caused the grayish air to cover the area. Fog, clouds, but it couldn't be the mist. Not that it really mattered, all she cared about was sinking into that warm water and enjoying her relaxing soak. The warm water would do wonders for her aching muscles, while it would also clean off the feeling of Naraku. It had been so cold and slick, she hated it.

Kagome turned her head to the side to look over her shoulder, watching as the young hanyou followed a good pace or two behind. When she stopped at the edge of the spring, he stopped too before finding a large bolder to sit behind so he could give her privacy. It was nice knowing that unlike Miroku, she could trust Inuyasha not to stare at her. He was respectful, and though he wouldn't admit it, he was awfully shy at that sort of thing.

Wanting to get into the hot spring as quickly as possible, she hurried to pull off her skirt and take off her uniform top. Surprisingly, it wasn't all that dirty, but that didn't mean it didn't need to washed. Out of the undressing ritual, her hand reached up to take her bra off but remembered it wasn't any normal bra she was wearing. This wouldn't come off just because she felt like it. Only with Ichiko's help or by the help of her mate would she be able to remove the red silky undergarment.

Out of curiosity, she tugged at the garment which seemed glued to her skin by some magical force. No matter how hard she tugged at the fabric, it just wouldn't move.

She gave up quickly and decided to try and think of it as something like a bikini as she dipped into the water, breathing out a sigh in pure bliss as she instantly started feeling better. A large bolder was right near the edge of the pool of water where she used to sit. The water came up to just above the top of her 'bikini', her hair slightly damp at the base where it dipped into the springs.

This was pure heaven.

Inuyasha sat on the opposite side of the boulder she was relaxing upon, trying to get the mental images of Kagome in nothing but the lingerie while dripping wet out of his head. His hands rested inside the sleeves of his haori while he kept his eyes in front of him. Of course he was tempted to look, but he wouldn't.

"Hey Inuyasha?" Her voice called out to him.

"Hmm?"

"When we leave, can I go back to my time for a day? I want to see my family and I have a big math test coming up." She asked as she looked up, barely making out a few twinkle of stars through the thick steam.

Ugh! Those stupid tests again. When was she just going to quiet at that school thing? She lived just fine without any of that crap in this time, why was it she wanted to do them so badly? It didn't make life any safer for her. In fact, it only seemed to stress her out even more and make things difficult.

But, he couldn't just keep her away from her family.

Growling quietly to himself, he gave in. "Fine, but only for a day. Got it?"

Kagome on the other side just smiled. "Thank you." He could hear it in her voice, that smile he knew was there. Just thinking about her smiling allowed a little smile to form on his mouth. He liked her smile.

Once again, it returned to silence.

Kagome scrubbed off the grime and dirt that she could feel on her body, also dipping her head below the water to wash her hair. This was just as close to a bath as you could get in this era, but it was still fantastic. Crystal droplets fell from her damp locks as she stared down at her reflection in the water. Black circles surrounded her eyes, showing the signs of major fatigue. Had she really been so tired? '_I look like crap.'_ She sighed, shaking her head as she dipped her hands into the water to wash her face.

Inuyasha sat with his own thoughts, thinking about the day. He had come so close to losing her, so close to breaking his promise of always protecting her. It ached in his chest to think of what might have happened to her if Naraku hadn't left. Why did he retreat anyways? It didn't matter, he was just glad to have Kagome.

Then it hit him.

He had forgotten all about Ichiko's words about marking her. With her new lingerie, he wouldn't have never been able to find the young miko if that bastard had taken her somewhere. That thought alone pissed him off beyond belief. No way was he going to allow Naraku to take her away from him. Hell, he'd rather have that mangy wolf take Kagome, at least he knew she wouldn't get hurt. At least Kouga did care about her.

But _that_ wasn't going to happen either.

"Kagome...what do you know about demon courtship and mating?" His cheeks redded as he asked, his voice just loud enough for her to hear him.

She was a little surprised by his question. Where had this come from? "Well, not much. Aren't demon mates a little like a married couple?"

He couldn't help but let out a little laugh. To compare something like the demon bond of mating, which lasts a lifetime, to something like the humans 'marriage' which was so fragile was a joke. But, that's about the closest thing in the human world he could compare it to. "Yeah, something like that."

"What about it?"

"Well, mating is like marriage, and courtship is what you could consider..." He sat there, debating on what would fit that title in human terms.

"Dating?"

"Huh? What's that?"

She put a finger to her lips as she thought of an easy way to explain it. "It's where two people get together a lot to see if their relationship will work out, and may possibly lead to marriage. Like the guy will take the girl out to eat, or to the movies, or bring her gifts and things like that. Though most of the time it doesn't work out, and they break up. In my time, not too many take it seriously." Kagome explained, thinking of all the times Hojo had tried to get her to go out with him.

He couldn't help but wonder if she had ever ever dated before. He had seen the boy that would come up to her and bring odd gifts. Hoko, Hogo, Hono...? Whatever, it was something like that.

Inuyasha nodded, though realized she wouldn't be able to see his action. "Well then courting is like that. A demon will have some interest in the one they wish to mate with, and will try to impress them. It's usually the male who tries to win over the womans heart, but I've heard of a few odd cases."

Course now he was getting off track. He didn't need to be telling her all about this type of stuff. All he needed to do was mark her, right? They didn't have to mate; not that he would decline that offer.

"Anyways, when two demons become close but aren't yet ready to mate, the dominant demon may place a mark on the other. It allows them to be able to feel the others basic emotions and helps locate the one they're interested in if they're in danger. It's almost like...an instinct." He rubbed the back of his head, trying to explain a ritual he knew very little about. Growing up with a human mother then alone for a long time didn't help him much in this sort of thing.

Kagome sat there taking in all the information he was giving her, but didn't understand why. Where had this come from? Why was he explaining all of this to her out of no where?

"Kagome, Ichiko gave me an idea of how to protect you. Thanks to that...gift," he flushed, looking at the ground, "I'm not able to sniff you out. If Naraku had taken you, I would have lost you and no clues of where to go. He would have taken you until I found where he was, which could take who knows how long..." He said truthfully. That was something he wouldn't hide from her. This would be a time he would show weakness. "If I did somehow find you, it may have been to late to save you..."

Kagome felt her heart drop into her stomach at the thought of that. He wouldn't have been able to save her this time, and she knew it. The future Inori was trying to protect her from would have probably happened much sooner then they had hoped. She would have been kidnapped, and there was a very high chance she would have been raped.

"But," Inuyasha started, his hands fisting in his sleeves, "Ichiko explained to me that if I were to mark you, I'd still be able to feel you. If anything happened, there would still be a way for me to track you down."

She turned her head to the side, wishing she could see what he looked like that very instant. He wanted to mark her? Wouldn't that be like they were dating? Once soft pink cheeks turned a darker shade, almost to the point where they could be considered red.

"I-it doesn't mean we have to mate or anything. It's just to protect you. The mark fades after three months, so it's not permanent..." he rambled on, not wanting her to get the idea they would have to do that sort of thing.

"Inuyasha, it's fine." His eyes widened at her words. She accepted it so easily? "How do you do a mark anyways?" She inquired, wondering if it was some sort of spell or writing.

This would be the part he would hate. "I'm going to have to bite your neck, enough for my fangs to puncture the skin." He replied, wondering if that would make her back out.

Kagome winced at the thought. Bite her neck? A hand reached up to the spot where Naraku had bitten her. This wasn't a mark was it? No, it couldn't have been...he hadn't said anything about marking her. He was just pissed off about her having her eyes shut. What if it was though? She didn't want to think about that...

"If you want, we can wait until you get back. You're not leaving my sight until then." He wouldn't pressure to mark her. Her day had been hard enough.

"No. Let's get it done now." She whispered quietly, knowing he would be able to hear. Her mind was racing with the bite on her neck.

Inuyasha sat there for a moment quietly before he stood up and walked around the bolder. "Stand up and turn around."

Kagome blushed, covering her chest. It's not like he could see through the material, but it didn't mean she liked being seen so exposed in front of him. It was embarrassing. However, she did as what she was told and stood up in the springs which came to her waist now. Her hands didn't leave her chest as she turned, waiting for him to get it over with.

He stood at the edge for but a moment, thinking about turning back. The bite would surely hurt her. After all, it was meant for demons who had a much higher tolerance to pain, not for some human with sensitive flesh. Could he hurt her though? Could he make her bleed? He had no choice. In the end, this would be worth it. He would never have to worry about where she is, or how she felt. He would know when she was frightened or hurt. He could save her.

Stepping into the springs, it didn't matter to him that his pants got wet. They would dry quickly once he got out thanks to the fabric it was made out of. He stood directly behind her as his clawed hand brushed some of the hair away from her neck and saw the mark, making his eyes flash red for a second.

"Did Naraku bite you?" He growled, a claw lightly tracing the bite mark.

Kagome shivered but nodded slowly. "Yes..."

He learned down, his amber eyes examining the wound. It wasn't a courtship mark, that much he could tell. You didn't need _all_ your teeth to mark someone, nor would it bruise like that after words.

"Don't worry, he didn't mark you, though it looks bruised." He explained, moving to the other side of her neck, one without a bite.

She only gave a sigh of relief. Good, Naraku wouldn't be able to track her down then. She didn't want to put her friends in danger if that were the case, but it wasn't.

Her heart beat hard in her chest as she felt him once again brush the hair away from her neck, his claws grazing the skin underneath. The touch made her shiver, but not in fear or disgust. It had felt...nice. The cold air above the springs plus the warmth of his touch created a wonderful feeling.

Inuyasha stared down at her neck as she stood before him. He had to do this. She was a strong woman and could take it. His bite wouldn't hurt as much as Naraku's had, he would make sure of that. Unlike that bastard, he would try to keep her as comfortable as possible. His right arm, the one that wasn't broken, snaked its way around her waist to hold her to him, his hand resting on her soft stomach. Her body molded perfectly against his, but now wasn't the time to think about such a thing. He had to keep her still. The less movement she made, the less pain it would cause.

His head leaned down so his lips hovered above the spot he would mark, his hot breath leaving her skin tingling. "Are you ready Kagome?" He asked, wanting her to be prepared for the pain.

Kagome felt goosebumps form as she smiled a little. He was too caring at times. "Yes, I can handle it."

He could only chuckle lightly at that. That she could.

Something deep inside him stirred as he prepared to bite. Instinct was kicking in. His eyes glazed over with a red tint as two jagged purple lines appeared on his cheeks as the demon blood surfaced. It would not hurt the girl, it would do the work for him. He would not have to think about how to do it, it would just come. His mouth lowered to junction where her neck and shoulder met, raking his fangs against the flesh. Kagome gasped and couldn't help as her head tilted to the side to allow him more access.

Two pearly fangs bit into the flesh of her neck, and tried to ignore her hiss of pain as his arm held her tight against his chest. Inuyasha was in a trance like state as his fangs let out the fluid that would flow through her body, allowing him to feel her. He could feel she was in pain. It was a surreal feeling. He just _knew_ it, and he hated the fact he was the cause of it. But, at least it had worked. He was becoming one with her soul. The demon in him loved the feeling, thinking he was holding his soon-to-be mate. It didn't know what the two had been discussing, all it knew was instinct and what it was doing now. It knew who she was, it craved her.

And now, it had her.

Kagome tried to relax, but it was hard when you had someone biting you. It hurt, but the pain was slowly disappearing. It was uncomfortable, but it wasn't painful anymore. His hand rubbed her stomach, drawing little circles with his claws as he tried to distract her from the feeling. She felt her body heat up at the intimacy between the two. Kagome had never felt closer to the hanyou, ever.

Her eyes locked on their reflection in the water. To look on the outside and see what they looked like only made the desire stronger. How was it such a simple touch could take her breath away and leave her burning for more? Did he feel the same way? Was she the only one of them feeling the passion, even over just a little touch, a little bite? Looking at his reflection in the water, she looked to his face to see what emotions were shown. That was when she noticed his eyes.

He had transformed.

But she wasn't scared. Even when he held her so close with his teeth on her neck, she didn't worry. He could easily kill her with a flick of his claws, but he wouldn't. Inuyasha wouldn't hurt her. She finally closed her eyes and enjoyed the feeling of him holding her as he did now, a way she wasn't sure if she would ever feel again.

Finally, he was finished. What seemed like minutes was actually only a few seconds in the real world.

He pulled his fangs out of her skin, receiving a slight groan of pain from the miko by the action. A few drops of blood dripped down her pale flesh, but his all to eager tongue shot out to lick the wound clean, relishing in the sweet taste of her flesh and blood.

His lips kissed the mark he had given her, two little wholes where his fangs had entered all the evidence of what had just transpired, giving Kagome shivers once again. Chocolate eyes widened at the feeling, as his hand moved down to just below her belly bottom, each touch setting her skin on fire. Each spot his lips touched made her burn with desire. He continued to kissed the wound before trailing the kisses up close to her ear, his eyes trailing down to look at her chest as it raised and fell with each breath she took. He pulled her closer as she let out a soft moan, a quiet growl rumbling in his chest as he stared at their reflection.

It wasn't long before his eye color returned to normal as he regained control of his body. Noting the position they were in, Inuyasha lifted his head away from her neck and retracted his arm from around her waist, his cheeks flaming red at how close they had been. All he had meant to do was bite and leave a simple mark, not...**_that_**.

"All done..." He mumbled quietly, before hopping out of the springs and shook himself dry like a dog.

Kagome stood in the water for but a moment, her head turned to look back at him. After he had got out, her skin felt so cold. In a way, she was glad that he had marked her in the hot spring, as it began warming her up again. She dunked below the surface, trying to feel the warmth he had given her, the one that set her skin aflame with desire, that had her wanting more.

It never came back.

Inuyasha looked back and awaited for her to come back up for air, which she did after about ten seconds. A smile formed on his lips as she looked at him then looked away as her cheeks heated up. It came as no surprise to him she would be a little shy after that. At least it wasn't anger. When she finished her bath, he helped her out and waited for her to get dressed once again before they made their way back to the Ichiko's hut.

He felt true peace as they walked in a comfortable silence by each others side. This is what he wanted. This is what he had always dreamed for. To have Kagome by his side. If she had accepted the mark so easily, was there a chance she returned the feelings for him? Could they possibly one day change from courting, to her becoming his mate?

For the first time in his life, he actually felt he had that chance. Even when he was with Kikyo, he had never felt that she would want him as a demon and to mate. She had wanted him to become a human so they could live together. But Kagome, she was different. She accepted all of him; human, hanyou and youkai. With her, he felt he had a true chance to finally get a mate.

And there was no way he was going to let Naraku take that from him.

_'Kagome is mine.'_

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Um, yeah. I had a lot of fun writing this one, though did feel like it was kind of bland. Meh, maybe it's just me hating my work all the time. Well please review! I mean...a super long chapter, hot springs and fluff? You know you want to review that. Hope to get 5-7 reviews, if not more! Again, I hope you enjoyed the chapter. See you all soon!

~ Miko


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